Stone Cold Crazy
by Galadri
Summary: Dean, Sam and Anna are tracking a murderous woman cursed to become a Gargoyle each night. Now she has her sights set on Dean and Anna's out for blood. Finished.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Supernatural doesn't belong to me. Anna, however, and the plot of this story does. How dull.**

* * *

The sun beat down on Dean's shoulders as he moved carefully down the street, shotgun at the ready. Across the small dirt street, Sam raked the hair from his eyes, grimacing at the sweat that slicked his hand through his chestnut shag. Pistol in hand he wiped the other palm dry on his pant leg. Somewhere up ahead a screen door opened and slammed shut in the wind repeatedly. A sign swung, creaking, over one porch and both men moved slowly toward the end of the street. 

"Anything?" Dean muttered. Thank God, Anna had sent a pair of the ear buds with them when they had left San Antonio almost three months ago. The small receivers had been a lifesaver on more than one occasion.

"Nothing," Sam answered. "But I can feel something here."

"Well, you let me know if it's something that I need to shoot," Dean quipped.

"You're a little trigger happy today," Sam observed peering into a dusty window.

The ghost town they were in had decided to take the term literally and the boys were now trying to quiet a gunslinger's ghost that had recently taken to poltergeist bursts of activity, harming a few tourists during the last tour that came through. John had passed along the job to Dean and Sam without bothering to tell the boys where he had heard about the job.

"Shut up," Dean answered. Sam was right. Dean was on edge. In the almost three months since they Winchesters had left Anna in San Antonio he hadn't spoken to her once. Every time he called Dean only got the machine, and the one time she called them she had called Sam's cell. Dean was close to just turning around and driving to Texas just so he could see her. The cave dreams were less common now, but they had become dreams of him watching Lawrence kissing Anna and Dean screaming her name, begging her to stop.

"She's not avoiding you," Sam said gently. Dean clenched his jaw, annoyed as hell that Sam always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"Leave it, Sammy." Dean pushed open the saloon doors with the barrel of the gun. He didn't want to talk about this now. He was quickly approaching the point of just pretending he'd never met the girl at all.

"She's been on a job," Sam pressed on. Dean stopped and turned to face his brother who just shrugged.

"She called me to tell me," Sam smiled apologetically. "She had hoped it would only take a day or so, but when she checked her messages and realized you'd called a few times she called me."

"She wasn't going to go hunting alone!" Dean forgot about the ghost and started toward Sam. "She isn't supposed to be hunting!"

"Dean, she got a call from the Den." Sam moved to meet Dean in the street. "They needed her help."

Dean swore and jammed his free hand in his jacket pocket, a move Sam recognized. Dean was hurting and frustrated, and nothing Sam could say would help now.

"She's with Thibideaux, then, and I'm stuck here in Podunk nowhere."

"I don't know," Sam shook his head. "Let's bag this bad guy and then we'll go yell at her. I'm supposed to call her tonight so we can all meet in San Antonio."

Dean clenched his jaw pulled his hand from his pocket to grip the barrel of the shotgun. He turned away from Sam and took a step back toward the saloon just as a burst of light erupted from the ground, throwing both brothers back onto a wooden walkway.

"What the - ?"

"Jee-sus!"

The Winchesters untangled their limbs and slowly helped each other to their feet. When Dean looked up he saw a column of blue fire moving slowly to the center of the street. Sam saw something more. In the center of the column was the figure of a man with large sideburns that followed the jaw line and led into a bushy handlebar moustache. Empty sockets burned black where his eyes should have been, and his forehead was covered by the brim of his weathered Stetson. A long duster covered the vest and guns the gunslinger wore above faded slacks. Spurs jangled on his boots as he walked.

Dean watched the man materialize slowly as he walked forward and his gaze was drawn to the sawed-off shotgun the ghost carried casually in one gigantic hand. In life the gunslinger was probably six foot six, but in death he seemed much, much bigger. Crap. The gunslinger raised his arm, leveled the shotgun at the brothers and squeezed the trigger.

Sam and Dean leapt apart, each diving for cover, as the blast sent boards and splinters of wood into the air. Dean rolled into a kneeling position and aimed at the gunman - who was no longer in sight. Dean stood slowly and moved out from behind the trough toward the center of the street.

"Dean!"

Dean motioned at Sam to stay put as he moved further away from cover. Behind Sam a door swung open and both brothers spun, aiming at nothing. The cling of spurs echoed off the storefronts and Sam turned back to Dean just in time to see the ghost rematerialize.

"Dean! Look out!"

"I'm looking!" Dean spun around. "Where is he?"

The answer came in a blow to Dean's chest that sent him flying backward, crashing into the barrels where Sam had been hiding.

"Dean!" Sam cried, pulling his brother up off the street.

"This job sucks," Dean grunted in pain.

"Dean! Are you okay?" Sam was frantically patting down his brother's torso for any injury.

"Yeah," Dean replied, slapping Sam away. "But don't tell Wyatt Earp. He might hit me again."

. .>. .>. .>

Anna hated the woods. She hated camping. She hated being without running water and a toilet. Anna hated this job. She wanted to be back in her warehouse cataloguing the cache of books she had found. She wanted to be barefoot. She wanted to talk to Dean. He had sounded close to frantic in his messages, and her being stuck here in the middle of nowhere with Rin-Tin-Dick was pushing her close to the edge.

"Hey sweetheart," the wolf drawled. "Don't go spacing out on me. I like my women quiet, not stupid."

John Genchy was as attractive as every other wolf Anna had met. She had a fleeting thought that it might be a result of natural selection - ugly wolves will be culled to make way for the Adonis of the breed. At just over six feet, John was imposing with sea-green eyes and sharp, angular features. His skin was fair and his shaggy mop of sand colored hair gave a boyish softness to his almost overpowering size. He looked like a Norse god, and Anna thanked the heavens she preferred Mediterranean looks. The last thing she needed was another man in her life. Moreover, John was an ass- a pretty ass, but an ass nonetheless.

"You call me sweetheart one more time and I'll make _you_ your next woman," Anna seethed. Tibbs was going to pay for this. Of all the times he could have broken an arm it _had_ to be now.

"Long as you make her blonde," he smirked. Anna snapped.

"That's it. Screw this. I'm going back to electricity." Anna spun on her heel and took two steps before a hand stopped her. She threw an elbow back to damage the guy, but his arm wrapped around her as his hand clamped over her mouth.

"It's here," John murmured. "Stay still."

Anna stiffened and breathed in quietly. She felt the shimmer of power run through the hard body at her back as he released his wolf enough to heighten his senses. Anna stayed as still and silent as possible to help him.

"It's close. We're going this way." He pulled her. Anna allowed the wolf to pull her off toward a nearby cave. Their SUV was parked at the bottom of the hill around the back of the small opening and Anna was all in favor of heading that way. She nearly stumbled over his legs when John stopped.

"Shit. Thibideaux is going to kill me."

"What is it?" She pitched her voice low.

"I'm sorry, Anna. You have to get to the car. It's too close, and it's huge."

"You have to be kidding!" she hissed. "I was sent to hunt, not run away." The wolf spun her around to meet his eyes.

"You'll die," John said evenly. "And if you die, I might as well too, 'cause Thibideaux would have my head when I got back. Go." He pushed her toward the car.

Anna studied the face of the man she had considered an irritant for the last week and sighed. With a nod she stepped past John and squeezed his shoulder for luck. He nodded in understanding and before Anna had cleared the mouth of the cave she looked back to see a large brown wolf loping toward the trees.

At the foot of the hill Anna was relieved to see the SUV sitting exactly where they had parked it, and she glanced over her shoulder with a grimace.

"Sorry, pal. I'm on the clock."

Anna moved to the back of the automobile and pulled open the rear doors, throwing the tarp off a half-dozen weapons. She lovingly stroked the handle of her gleaming machete but reached past the weapon to grab hold of her trusty shotgun and her favorite Beretta. She tucked the handgun into her pants at the small of her back and slammed the doors shut. Then, shotgun in hand, she climbed the hill to follow Tibbs' buddy after their quarry.

At the edge of the woods Anna slowed and listened for any sign of where he had gone.

"What are you doing here?"

Anna jumped and swallowed a scream. She spun around and slapped John with a satisfying crack.

"Don't do that!" she hissed.

Both of them glared at each other for a moment before John stepped closer and grasped Anna above the elbow.

"I told you to go back," he shook her gently.

"And I told you no," Anna pulled against his grasp. She was getting damn tired of men telling her what to do and where to go. "I won't let you get killed just so Tibbs can rest easy. If he didn't want me here he should have-"

"He _didn't _want you here and he _did_ say so," John growled with frustration. "He suggested the Winchesters, but the Council insisted on you."

Anna frowned and chewed on the inside of one cheek. After a long moment she swore and took a deep breath.

"Alright," she sighed. "I'll-"

Before Anna could finish her sentence she found herself in John's arms and flying through the air. She registered a burning sensation in her arm a second before the ground rushed up to beat the air from her lungs. She bounced away from John and rolled away as he flashed into his wolf's form.

"Run!" he growled as he jumped toward their attacker. Anna frowned. She hadn't been aware that they could talk in their wolf form, but breathing was more important right now. Taking shallow breaths to regain her wind, Anna stood and leveled the barrels at the Shadow-Bear that had just emerged from the trees. When it swatted John away she fired, hoping the saltpeter would do some good.

The bear roared, enraged, and charged toward Anna. John was struggling, trying to get to his feet and screaming at her to run, but Anna stood her ground. She pumped the chamber and took aim for another shot, aiming right between the glowing blue eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the original characters or concept. I wish I did. I'd be able to afford gas.**

**A/N: This one's a tad short, and the next one will have some lemony goodness (it'll probably be a complete meringue) so read this one and then wait for Ch4 if you don't want the lemon flavored rainbow.**

* * *

Dean groaned and rolled onto his knees, feeling as though an eighteen-wheeler had just plowed right over him.

"Sammy?"

Sam stumbled toward his brother, the burning remains of the gunman's bones smoking behind him.

"You alright, Dean?"

"Yeah," he grunted, accepting Sam's arm to climb to his feet. "Did we get Hop-Along Casper?"

"Yeah," Sam laughed. "Time to go back to Texas."

The smile fell from Dean's face and Sam felt his own gut clench for his brother. Anna had better have a good reason for not calling Dean.

. .>. .>. .>

Anna closed the salt circle around the Shadow-Bear and threw the juniper berries she carried for emergencies onto the bear. John shielded his eyes from the violent white-blue light that shot toward the sky, penning the spirit inside the circle. Anna pulled an impressive blade from its sheath in her boot and sliced her palm, much to John's horror.

She quirked her brows at him and smiled as she allowed a few drops of blood to fall onto the salt. The light changed color and began to spin around the bear. Anna stepped back and whispered a few words in Gaelic, staring intently at the Bear form on the ground. Slowly the creature rose to its feet and met her eyes. The black snout lifted to the sky and a deafening roar echoed throughout the woods. John was confused by Anna's smile as she whispered another small phrase and the Bear's body began to melt away to reveal a human form underneath.

John stared, wide-eyed, at the Indian warrior that was now clearly visible within the circle. John flashed to his wolf form and moved to stand between Anna and the Indian. The warrior smiled and closed his eyes. With a deep breath he raised his arms to the sky and allowed his body to drift apart. The light flashed white across the clearing and John closed his eyes against the glare. When he opened them again the spirit was gone and the circle looked as though a bonfire had burned out.

Anna pulled a kerchief from her pocket, cleaned and sheathed her blade, and then pressed the cloth to her wound.

"Come on," she called to John tiredly. "Let's go."

"What was that?" John asked once they were on the road back to New Orleans.

"Tuskegee warrior would be my guess," Anna yawned. "Looked as though he called on the Bear to help him. Poor thing didn't know that his people were already all gone."

"He was trying to protect his people?"

"From the Great March," Anna nodded.

"Great March? Was it covered on CNN?" John frowned. He couldn't recall any sort of march by the Indians lately. Anna snorted in frustration.

"The Trail of Tears!"

John still had no clue and said so.

"Good God, what are they teaching in schools? The Trail of Tears! When the tribes between Florida and the Mississippi were routed to Oklahoma and beyond into New Mexico by foot and by train." Anna sighed and watched the scenery pass out her window. "It was as bad as the Holocaust. Thousands died on the march, but the worst part was that it happened at all." Anna frowned and turned her gaze to the scenery. "He thought we were there to take his people away. He's at peace now."

Three hours later John pulled up to the airport and another thirty minutes saw Anna and all her gear stowed aboard the Council's private jet.

"You better get that arm looked at in San Antonio," John grumbled.

"It was nice meeting you too," Anna laughed as a flight attendant approached with a first aid kit. "Say 'hi' to Tibbs for me."

"I will," John grinned. "Ciao sexy!"

Anna laughed and settled back to let the woman do her job. Within minutes, she was asleep.

. .>. .>. .>

"Try the other one, then," Dean growled. Sam had tried four keys in the pitch black and none so far had worked. Anna still wasn't home, but right now Dean was more concerned about getting a hot shower and food. A beer would be nice, too.

"Do you want to do this?" Sam turned to face Dean, holding the keys up for his brother to see.

"Just open the door!"

"I'm trying. I can't help it that this house has a million different keys."

"It only has three, actually."

The Winchesters spun around to see a grinning Anna coming up the sidewalk. Dean inhaled sharply at the sight of Anna's skin and hair glowing blue the full moon's light. She seemed thinner than when he last saw her, and the glare of bandages down her right arm brought Dean's temper to the fore.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Anna gave a sheepish smile and stepped past the two men to open the door.

"Beer first, yelling later," she answered.

"The hell with that," Dean growled. Before she could move away, he spun Anna around to face him, holding her still against the wall with one hand pressed to her sternum to limit her movement. "Where have you been?"

"Alabama," she grunted through clenched teeth. Dean's vise-grip on her arm was probably ripping open her stitches, but Anna wasn't about to say anything. Sam, bless him, noticed her pained expression and spoke up.

"Dean, come on. You're hurting her."

Dean froze and gasped, eyes wide. Quickly he released Anna and stepped away.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, exhaling a shaky breath.

"You were scared," Anna replied. "I should have called more."

"Or at all," Dean bit out.

Anna stuffed her hands into her pockets with a sigh, then hissed in pain and bent over, clutching her arm. Her stitches had torn open at Dean's manhandling and her arm was now visibly bleeding again.

"Anna!"

"Annie!"

"Ow…"

. .>. .>. .>

Dean swallowed the last of his Shiner and watched as Sam repaired the stitches just above Anna's elbow. When the bandages first came off, Sam and Dean had both been horrified at the four large gashes that marred Anna's skin and had demanded to know what happened, but Anna had only laughed.

"There's bar's in them thar woods," she had growled in her best imitation of an old prospector. Neither brother had been overly amused.

"How is Thibideaux?" Sam asked in a low voice. Anna's gaze shot to Dean and her heart skipped a beat when she discovered he was watching her, waiting to hear the answer. She winced and looked away when Sam tugged on the thread.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Tibbs is okay," Anna finally answered. "He had a broken arm, so I had to go on the hunt with this jackass, John Genchy." Anna wrinkled her nose. "Actually, he was okay. But the man had sex on the brain. Thank God I'm not his type."

"Oh yeah? What is his type?" Sam laughed.

"Blow up dolls. He doesn't like 'em too bright."

Sam laughed again as he tied off the last stitch and proceeded to wrap Anna's arm in fresh bandages.

"Why didn't you call?" Dean asked as he considered starting another beer. Getting good and drunk had seemed like a good idea for weeks now, but tonight the idea really appealed to him.

"I think I'll just go grab a shower," Sam mumbled as he grabbed the first aid kit and dirty bandages, escaping from the kitchen as quickly as possible.

Anna chewed her bottom lip and plucked imaginary lint from her jeans, trying to find a way to explain. She barely understood herself.

"I missed you," she said quietly. "And I missed him. You would call and I would go to answer, but I couldn't. I was scared." Dean's eyes bored into her and Anna looked down at her lap. "It was like high school, waiting for Eddy to call. I wanted to hear from you, but I was afraid of what you might say." Anna met his gaze, then, and Dean saw disgust in her eyes, disgust at her self. "This is the first time in my life I've ever been a coward, but I can't help it."

Anna lowered her eyes, but Dean thought he saw the glisten of tears. She was scared of them, whatever them was. That couldn't be good. How could Anna be scared and he not – No. That wasn't true. Dean was scared witless, but Anna called to him. Even without the dreams she would have called to him, and Dean wasn't about to let them being scared mess this up. But he wasn't ready to forgive her yet. She had to do a bit of squirming now.

"Tomorrow we'll all head for St. Louis." Dean fought a grin as Anna's head snapped up, her confusion clear in her expression. "Dad called with a job. We'll head that way tomorrow. Reference your system for gargoyles. He thinks we've got one."

Without another word, Dean stood and left the kitchen, tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin on his way out. Anna stared at the empty doorway for a full minute before she moved toward her computer.


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: This chapter is purely a LEMON and not in any way necessary to the plot. If you don't want to read it, move on to Chapter 4. I repeat, this chapter is a LEMON and was written because I bloody felt like it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dean or the Supernatural concept. I own Anna and this plotline is mine. Read on.**

* * *

Anna closed her laptop and made her way to bed. Too tired to even brush her teeth she rinsed vigorously with Listerine as she washed her face lazily. She spit, toweled off and threw her jeans and bra into a corner before turning off the light and slipping between her sheets, 330-thread count, and dropping immediately into slumber. She vaguely noticed her clock read 2:34. Some time later, her eyes flew open, her brain instantly alert and her mouth dry. 

Anna inhaled and rolled over to look at her clock, but it was gone. Confused she stood and stretched without pain and made her way to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Without turning on the lights, Anna crossed the linoleum floor and filled a glass at the sink, marveling at the full moon that shone through the windows to bathe the room in blue light. She froze at a shuffling sound behind her and jumped when warm hands encircled her waist. Soft lips and hot breath grazed her neck and the scent of Dean melted her tension.

Dean wrapped one arm around Anna's small waist, pulling her back into his body, and ran his other hand up her torso, between her breasts and up her throat to push her head aside, giving him better access to her throat. He had awakened with a need to go to the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of Anna glowing like a faerie in moonlight, her chocolate curls shining. Her long legs and arms looked dark against the shocking white of her panties and tank top, and Dean had been seized by a preternatural and irresistible desire. The salty sweet taste of her skin made him hunger for more, and her throaty groan pushed his mind beyond reason.

Anna reached over her head to steady herself against Dean, the other arm wrapped back around his hip, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to touch him, to feel his skin beneath her hands, to taste him. She wrenched his hand from her throat and spun in his arms, arching up to him even as she pulled his head to her, claiming his mouth, for the first time initiating the kiss. Dean sighed and slowed the kiss, lazily teasing her mouth, pulling back a little when Anna tried to deepen the kiss, taunting her lips with the tip of his tongue but never accepting her invitation.

Dean wound his fingers in her hair at the nape of her neck to further control their pace. He controlled every moment of the kiss and when Anna growled in frustration, dragging her nails across his back, pressing her hips into his groin, Dean grinned against her mouth and gave in. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, reveling in Anna's gasp, moaning in unison with her as she sucked hungrily on him, caressing him with her own tongue. His hands gripped her by the waist and he pushed her back against the counter, his tongue moving in time with the throbbing between his legs. He felt her fingers curling in his hair, seeking for something to hold on to and he reached around to the back of her thighs, pulling her legs up around his waist and settling her butt on the counter. He settled his erection between her legs and had to pull away to clench his jaw, nearly coming at the heat emanating from her.

"Dean," Anna whispered, her voice desperate, pleading. Without a word, Dean lifted her again and carried her to the table, pushing papers and a basket of flowers to the floor. Setting her down, he quickly removed her shirt and panties and then paused to take in her body.

She was lovelier than he could have imagined, and the moonlight seemed to radiate from beneath her skin. Her body was lean and toned, but still soft with all the right curves. She even had that small bump below her navel that hinted at future children. Her breasts were full and high, the nipples hard and waiting, and her legs were long and trim, joined by a patch of dark curls that called to him. She blushed beneath his gaze but waited patiently, letting him get his fill of her, but Dean knew that would never happen. Slowly he lowered his head to her breast and slowly licked one puckered nipple, then the other.

Anna sucked in a breath and gripped the sides of the table, her back arching up off the table. She was astonished at her reaction to Dean's touch. Even Lawrence, the few times their kisses had progressed into heavy petting, had never elicited this response in her. Her legs opened to him without her being fully aware and the rustling of fabric played at the edge of her hearing. Then he was there, hard and hot, waiting. He lifted his head to capture her mouth in a gentle kiss, giving her a chance to back out, but Anna knew she could no more say no to Dean than she could stop breathing.

"Now," she whispered. "Please Dean."

Dean looked into Anna's eyes and saw his hunger mirrored in her gaze. He reached to guide himself into her and thrust home. Anna cried out as he filled her…

… and hit the floor with a hard thud, her sheets and pillows falling on top of her. Gasping she sat up and reached out with a cry, her arms finding only air. Panting now, she took stock of her surroundings. Darkness. Rug. Bed. End table. Clock. 3:38. Shit. Bedroom.

Anna buried her face in her hands and sobbed in frustration, ignoring the pain in her right arm, then inhaled deeply and laid back on the floor, pushing a pillow under her head. She'd never get to sleep this tense. With a smile, her fingers moved beneath the elastic waistband of her panties.

Across the hall, Dean stepped into a cold shower, breathing hard against the heat rolling off him and letting the freezing water soothe his tension. God, what a dream. He seriously doubted he'd be able to sit at that table for a while, let alone look Anna in the eye in the morning. He leaned his forehead against the tiled wall and sighed in frustration.

_Why couldn't that have been real?_

The image of her beneath him, the feel of her contracting around his cock, her entire body trembling and wet, hot for him, and her taste… the entire dream replayed unceasingly in his head until even the cold water did nothing for Dean. He was surprised to discover his hand had betrayed him, helping his rock-hard penis to push the dream toward its natural conclusion.

Anna's fingertips flicked expertly and her knees spread wide to accommodate the fingers she used to simulate the feel of Dean in her dream. Still angry at her subconscious for not allowing them to finish, she worked herself toward completion, rubbing the walls of her sticky, moist center, teasing her textures in time to Dean's rhythm as she let every aspect of the dream replay in her head. When she recalled the end of the dream, the feel of Dean when he entered her, Anna responded, climaxing with a groan through clenched teeth.

Dean moaned, grunting her name quietly into the darkness, holding the image of Anna's eyes as he entered her in his mind until his spasms had finished. Breathing hard he fought to stay standing until his breathing returned to normal, then he turned and bathed in earnest, trying to wash the dream away before he had to give a repeat performance.

Anna lay on the floor, heart pounding in her ears, and forced herself to breathe slowly. She sat up a little unsteadily and made her way into the bathroom to bathe. She turned on the shower and let the almost scalding hot water flow through her hair and down her body. Too late, she remembered her stitches and with a curse, she turned off the water to bandage her bleeding arm again.

"Damn it, Dean," she muttered. Her arm would never heal with him in the house. Anna grinned at the thought and pulled out her first aid kit.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I am neither the ecstasy nor the agony behind the original concept of Supernatural. I am merely attempting to return the show to its former glory ((I had to stop watching after a while. I may try again. It went too Charmed for me far too quickly.)) and I hope you all enjoy my efforts. BTW, I got a surprising amount of congrats on the lemon. I was happy. Nobody seemed to really enjoy my Bebop lemon. Poo.No sense of adventure. **

**A/N: I didn't write the fragment of lecture. That is copied from... I forget where now. Dang. But it's not mine. It's from an actual lecture on gargoyles. Thought you'd like to know.**

* * *

Anna stumbled into the kitchen and made a beeline for the coffeepot. Sam watched her slow movements, noticing her new bandages and damp hair before registering the anime t-shirt and boxer shorts. Sam had been awakened by the sound of running water at an ungodly hour, and being unable to use the shared restroom had made his way to the guest bath on the first floor. On his way down the stairs, though, he had heard Anna's shower come on and his Spidey senses had gone off. This morning Dean had slept in and Anna looked like she had a hangover. 

"Rough night?"

"Dreams," she grunted. Anna turned around and leaned against the counter to savor her first sip. After a minute, she spoke again. "Such weird dreams. It felt so real. I seriously thought… but only at first. I… it- we- and…"

Anna sighed in frustration and shook her head, crossing the kitchen toward Sam. As she took a seat at the table, he noticed the quote scrawled beneath the image of a handsome man in a white tuxedo surrounded by flowers and busty women.

"I'd like you to be the mother of my children," Sam read aloud.

"Did I come in at a bad time?" Dean asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Nope," Sam answered. Anna just blushed and looked down at the table, blushed again and excused herself, escaping with coffee in hand.

"What the hell was that about?" Dean mused as he took her seat, watching Anna's legs disappear up the stairs.

"Don't know," Sam answered. Dean shrugged and Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother as Dean now stared down at the tabletop and blushed. Instead of leaving, though, he reached out to the floral arrangement in the center and pulled a small bunch of baby's breath to twirl between his fingers.

"Did I miss something?" Sam demanded. "What happened after I left last night?"

"Nothing much," Dean smiled. "I told her about St. Louis and went upstairs."

"Is that why the shower went on at four this morning?" Dean stayed silent, staring at the small flowers and Sam pressed on. "And is that why _she_ took a shower at the same time?"

Dean's head snapped up and Sam's eyes held a glint of satisfaction at the response. Now he had Dean's attention.

"With you in our bathroom I had to go downstairs, and I heard her shower going too. Want to try again?"

"I had a dream," Dean leaned forward. "It was… different. It was so real I swear I had no idea it was a dream until I woke up in my room again. It _felt_ real, and I-"

Dean broke off, unable to say more. Sam watched his brother try to express himself, but the blush that spread across Dean's cheeks, the hungry look that entered his eyes, told Sam more than he wanted to know, and suddenly Anna's stammering made more sense. They had shared a dream. Gross.

"Okay, forget I asked. What are we doing about St. Louis?"

. .>. .>. .>

Anna was positive she would die of embarrassment, but Sam said nothing about this morning and Dean, oddly enough, was giving her some space. She supposed he was still upset with her, but he didn't act angry. He acted almost like a man giving a new lover her privacy the morning after, as though he were trying not to frighten her. she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force her brain to focus on the hunt. This was rather difficult to accomplish, though, with the pounding headache that had begun when Dean resolutely refused to fly.

"Why are we driving again?" she asked from the backseat. The five hours to the state line from San Antonio were nowhere near over, and Anna hated long road trips.

"No caves, no airplanes," Dean counted out with his fingers. "Those are the rules, sweetheart."

Anna's heart fluttered at the endearment, but she frowned at the sarcasm in his tone.

"I wasn't aware that this arrangement allowed you to randomly make up more rules as we went along." Anna arched a brow and met Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I can make up a few more rules, if you like. I'm trying to be nice here. Now shut up and take a nap."

Anna had an almost irresistible urge to pout and say "make me" but that was beyond juvenile and Sam was already fighting laughter. Instead, she scowled and plugged her mp3 player into a cassette adapter and leaned forward to commandeer the radio.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean shouted, swerving a little as her breasts pressed into his shoulder.

"Passenger gets the radio. Shut up and don't kill us." Anna pressed play and turned the volume up before returning to the back. As she settled in to read one of the several journals she had found before the Den had called, the Cardigans' "Iron Man" came on and Sam burst out laughing.

"That's not right," Dean muttered.

"Shut up," Anna replied.

Sam hid his grin by staring out the window.

. .>. .>. .>

The parapsychology department of Washington University's Religious Studies Department building was nothing like Dean expected. The fact that it even existed was beyond his expectations, but Anna, always three steps ahead it seems, went straight past the offices to a classroom and entered quietly as a middle-aged man stood at the front of the small room and lectured. Heads turned to see who had come in, but for the most part the trio was ignored. Dean looked around, studying the students and watching Sam and Anna as the rest of the room gave the short man their full attention.

"An appealing idea for explaining medieval gargoyles is as a reminder or warning to the populace of the evil all around outside and the safe sanctuary inside the church. Evil takes many forms, from women carrying the devil on their backs – very symbolic, very unenlightened and non-PC," he paused for the twitter of laughter that ran through the room. Anna and Dean alone remained deadpan. "To bug eyed human faces twisted into monstrosities, to demons, dangerous beasts, hideous human horrors, and hairy men who have descended terribly into the brutal and frightening level of the beast. Better the beauty and serenity inside. Come on in and forget the trials of the world outside for a while and pray for your soul and salvation from the horrors shown outside."

The professor looked past his students to the strange trio at the back of his class. The girl he knew, but who were the other two? It didn't matter really. Anytime Anna MacKeary came to call, Phineas Bowen knew something was going on that he didn't want to know about.

"Of course," he continued his lecture without breaking stride. "It could be as much a case of the gargoyles saying – metaphorically- 'Hey you, Jimmy!'" Bowen dropped into an impression of his father's Scottish brogue. "'Yes You! Who do you think I mean? Watch yer step, laddie. We've got our eye on you. One step out of line and you've had it. You're meat, with our teeth in it!'"

Bowen smiled as the class erupted into laughter and decided to end the lecture on a high note. Anna, Sam and Dean remained seated as the students filed out, Anna and Bowen locked in a staring contest. Anna won when a student distracted Bowen with a question about something obviously irritating.

"Why don't we make an appointment to discuss that," he sighed. "I'm afraid I have a previous engagement at the moment."

When the room was at last clear, Anna and the Winchesters moved to meet Bowen halfway across the room.

"Where's Bill?" Bowen asked by way of a greeting.

"Living the suburbs and minivan life," Anna shrugged.

"And Lawrence? I haven't seen him in a while."

"He's well," Anna smiled weakly. "He's been… busy." Bowen studied Anna's face, surprised at the change in her since he had last seen her. He had heard of Geoff's death but had been unable to attend the funeral, so he had no way of knowing if the weight loss was a natural progression into womanhood for the girl or if she was just not eating. Anna had always been thin, but the girl looked almost gaunt.

"I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother Dean."

Bowen looked up to the men beside Anna and took in the appearance of her companions for the first time. He shook their hands and introduced himself.

"Dr. Phineas Bowden. You're John's boys, then?" Bowen smiled at the surprise in their expressions. Even Anna quirked a brow, a rare treat from the young hunter. Bowen wondered briefly what she would look like with an actual expression on her face.

"You know our dad?" Dean asked at the same time Sam spoke.

"Anna said you might be able to help us."

Anna and Bowen shared a dry smile before the professor turned away to retrieve a folder from his desk.

"I found what I could. I'm surprised your own search didn't find anything," Bowen mused as he handed the file over to Anna. Dean's jaw worked in frustration. Anna had changed from the Annie the girl to Anna the hunter, and her chameleon mood swings were irritating to say the least.

"The Texas warehouse is in a state of disarray, but even our French database held nothing. This is the first time I've never had anything to go on."

"Excuse me," Sam broke in. "I'm lost. What's going on?"

"Gargoyles, Mr. Winchester," Bowen answered in his best professor voice. "Anna tells me you're hunting a gargoyle. I happen to be the world's foremost expert on gargoyles, in mythology as well as architecturally speaking."

"We're not really sure what we're hunting," Dean responded. "We haven't even been to the site yet. Annie wanted to stop here first."

Anna shot Dean a warning look at his casual use of her name, and Bowen was intrigued.

"Well, that file is for your use. Take it and come back if you have any questions."

. .>. .>. .>

As the trio bid the professor farewell and left the room Dean looked up to catch the eye of a pretty redhead down the hall. She flushed prettily before ducking into a computer lab. Without another thought he followed Sam and Annie into the elevator, more than ready to leave the collegiate atmosphere that his brother and his girl seemed so comfortable with.

He paused a moment at the stray thought, grateful they were in an elevator. _His girl_? Somehow, he was surprised but not scared at the thought. When had Dean taken possession of Annie? He smiled to himself as the answer glared out at him. The same day he had watched her making dinner. The same day she had somehow wrapped him around her little finger.

They all stepped out into the sunshine, Dean trailing behind Sam and Anna. From the third floor of the building a Venetian blind was pulled down just enough for a pair of gray eyes to peek out. She followed the blonde man's figure as he moved along behind his two brunette companions. She had waited a long time to find the one who could break her curse. Soon, she would be free, and she would have a new love. A new love and revenge on the ones who had done this to her. The Pastor Bowen's descendent would soon feel the full fury of her suffering. Soon _he _would know the depths of her pain and she would escape into the bliss of her future.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: You know what goes here.**

**A/N: Alright, yo. This is super short 'cause I've been sitting on it for three months now, but my new job's a beotch and leaves no time for creativity. NEVER sell your soul for $9.50 an hour. No matter how broke you are. It's not worth it. Anyway, I'm still fighting the good fight, but I had to give y'all something, so here you are.**

* * *

Dean, Sam and Anna were sprawled across the two beds in the boys' room, each working their way through a different part of the file from Bowen. Anna moved faster through the material, immediately discarding anything on local buildings and structures. What they were looking for was alive, not decorative.

The case had first come to Sam and Dean's attention in the now normal way: random coordinates and a URL from their father via a dead email account. There was no way to track the message back to the sender, and Sam and Dean were left with a job they couldn't walk away from. This job seemed particularly tricky, though, since the list of victims seemed random, with nothing connecting them, and decades between the attacks. The only similarity was that all the victims were male, but seeing the places they were usually found, cemeteries, docks, deep-woods campsites, that wasn't a particularly surprising clue. The only other similarity between the men was the manner in which they were killed: throats slit, runic symbols carved into the flesh of their chest and torso, hearts ripped out by what appeared to be a claw punching through the ribcage.

The trio had reviewed the case files several times each, and now they were hoping to find a lead in the papers collected by Bowen. Most of the information was purely academic, forcing them to create several piles of Yes, No and Huh. Anna sighed as she tossed another photocopied page into the No pile. Anna was becoming frustrated, particularly by a reference point she kept seeing, but was unfamiliar with. She dug through the Huh pile and noticed the same reference material cited on almost every single page.

"Sam?"

Sam loked up from his stacks to see Anna digging through every single stack, pulling papers from each at random, a frown on her face.

"Yeah?"

"I keep seeing a citation on these essays and notes-"

"Pastor B., Private Journals, volume whatever?" Sam nodded. He had run across the same reference several times himself.

"Yeah," she bit her lip. "What about you, Dean? The same?"

Dean looked from Anna to Sam with a deer in headlights expression.

"Dragonflies?"

Anna laughed and tossed her papers to one side while Sam shook his head and returned to his reading. Anna crawled off her bed and over to the boys' to lean over Dean's shoulder. She bit her lip and scanned the page in Dean's hand for the reference while he just stared at her profile, mesmerized by the swelling of her lips from the pressure. She smelled of leather, from the Impala, coffee, from Starbucks, and wildflowers, from her perfume. Dean had to fight not to turn his head, ever so slightly, and kiss her.

"Ha!" Anna cried and draped her arms over Dean's shoulders in a hug. "You have it too!"

Too quickly for Dean's taste, Anna moved away from the bed and toward their luggage. She ignored the Winchesters' laptop and pulled out her own VAIO, pressing the power button before she even reached the table to sit down. Dean and Sam followed her movment for a few short minutes, amused at the frenzied impatience she displayed while waiting for the wi-fi connection.

"Finally," she breathed and began clicking and typing like mad. Sam threw Dean a grin before they both resumed reading. Several grunts and curses later, they were both startled by a triumphant shout from Anna who ignored them both to pull out her phone, pressing a speed-dial option.

"Come on, come on. Answer." Anna stood and began pacing in front of the small table. "Hello? Hi this is Anna in the- Yes, Aunt Clara, how are- I'm fine. No. No Bill is- That's ni- No, I'm still not- Anna MacKeary." Anna rolled her eyes and banged the phone against her forehead. Dean and Sam fought to keep their laughter silent.

"What was that? Sorry. No, must have been static. No, I'm still hunt-" Anna shut her eyes in a silent scream. "No, Aunt Clara, I- the Winchesters." Anna listened in silence for a few moments. "Yes, Clara, John Winchester's sons." Anna blushed red and suddenly couldn't meet Dean's eyes.

"No, Clara, I'm not. No. Yes, I- Sort of. No, I haven't. Actually that's not why I-" Anna blushed deeper and sank into her chair, wearied by the call. "Clara- That's not why I call-Clara, please."

Anna was close to growling in frustration. She suddenly remembered why she and her father had so carefully avoided dealing with the French branch of the family.

"Clara- I- Clara!" Anna sighed deeply. "I'm not shagging weither of them!" She burst out. Immediately embarrassed she stood and left the room to finish the conversation outside.

Sam and Dean stared at the door in silence unitl Sam burst out laughing.

"Wow, Dean," he lauhed. "Should you feel insulted?"

"Shut up," Dean grumbled and returned to his reading.

"I mean," Sam continued. "I don't know if dreams count-"

His sentence was cut short by a pillow smacking him in the face. At the foot of the bed, Dean smiled and just kept on reading.

_Dreams count._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own Sam, I don't own Dean, and I don't own a 360. Damn. I really wanted one. Lata's yo! Enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

At eight o'clock the next morning, Dean was jerked out of his sleep by a loud knocking at the door.

"Who is it?" dean called out as Sam sat up on his elbows. Both men were rumpled from sleep and neither was happy about the time.

"It's me!" Anna's voice called. "Let me in! The books are here."

Sam grinned and nodded to Dean who rolled out of bed.

"This couldn't wait until after coffee?" Dean grumbled as he staggered to the door. He grabbed his jeans and yanked them on before pulling the door open. He groaned and shut his eyes against the sunlight, peeking through his fingers at a grinning Anna.

"Can I come in?" she laughed, secretly appreciating the shirtless Dean's physique. She stepped past Dean, ducking beneath his arm, when he grunted and moved back. By this time, Sam had gotten out of bed and pulled on his own jeans and a shirt. He smiled at Anna when she grinned a hello at him.

"I brought caffeine," she chirped and crossed the room toward Sam, holding out a white and green cup. "Quad venti nonfat extra foam caramel macchiato."

"I love you," Sam groaned and took the cup from her, pulling the lid off to savor the aroma of espresso and sweetened milk.

"I know," Anna laughed and turned to Dean, holding out the other cup. "And for you, venti drip black with two raw sugars and cinnamon."

"Cinnamon?" Dean raised a brow.

"You never complained in Texas," Anna shrugged as she sat on the bed. Dean grunted and lowered himself onto the other side, taking the coffee. He sniffed at the steam rising through the lid and took a tentative sip. Anna grinned and leaned back against the pillows, pulling several small books from her satchel, along with a diet DP. Dean narrowed his eyes at the way too perky brunette snuggling into his warm spot, torn between finding her sexy and pushing her away to reclaim his spot.

"The cousins sent the books by the family concord," Anna began. Dean watched her lovingly stroke the leather volumes and sighed, taking another swallow of coffee. "The flight was delayed over London due to weather, though, so they only arrived about an hour ago."

Dean caught Sam's amused smile and just shook his head in response, his eyes softening as they watched Anna, who continued speaking, oblivious.

"It seems Pastor B. was part of an immigration to the states after the Torsaker witch hunts in the 1670s. He relocated with other immigrants to the Pennsylvania settlement, so some of the early journals are in Swedish," she shook her head and pulled out two of the journals. "I don't suppose either of you speaks Swedish?"

Dean snorted and Sam just shrugged.

"I was pre-law."

Anna sighed and handed a journal to each brother.

"You take the English. We'll see how rusty my Swedish is."

"You speak Swedish?" Sam sounded impressed.

"French cousins with _huge_ crushes on their ski instructors," Anna grinned. "I loved being thirteen."

Sam laughed as Anna tossed her bag across the room into a chair by the window before kicking off her shoes and pulling the covers up to her knees, settling in to read. Dean stretched out beside her after clicking the heater on to a low setting and opened his journal. Sam watched them both and fought the urge to laugh, opening his own volume instead.

* * *

Linnea Anders stood in the chill morning air, unusual for this late in spring, and stared through the lit window of Dr. Phineas Bowden's historic home on Mississippi Avenue. Her gray eyes watched the descendant of her betrayer read a book with his loving wife curled up beside him on the couch with a magazine of her own. Linnea hated the man for enjoying his life. She begrudged him this moment of tranquil happiness. Soon, though, he would know her pain. He would feel the stone madness, the fear of night. 

The sun broke the horizon and Linnea jumped to the ground from her perch atop a neighboring house's porch and felt the warmth move through her skin. She watched her skin resume its soft pink hue and felt her limbs stretching to their normal length, her spine straightening and her hair growing back to its usual length. When the pins and needles in her veins stopped, she reached up to pull a tendril of flame red hair forward, examining the ends.

Her cold eyes moved back to the window at the sudden laugh she heard. When the curtain was pulled shut, she felt the pain and rage explode in her breast. They were making love.

Before long, though, it would be her turn. _She_ would be making love to the blond, the blood of his dark haired companions used to strengthen the spell, and Bowden would watch. Linnea would have her new love and a new human body. Phineas Bowden would know what it felt like to hurt and he would _know_ the pain she had suffered for nearly five centuries. She would walk in the sun a free woman while Phineas Bowden's infinite torture would be just beginning.

Pulling the day's clothes from their usual hiding spot behind a bush, Linnea dressed and quickly left the neighborhood. Today she would find his name, and tonight she would make him hers.

* * *

"I don't get it," Anna growled, frustrated. Her Swedish had been woefully unequal to the task, and she had resorted to having to use an online translator engine to work her way through the journal. 

"Having a rough time?"

Anna threw Dean a scowl from her seat at the table. The second she had stood up, Dean had jumped at the warm spot and pulled the blankets up to his waist. The day had grown warmer making the heater unnecessary, but the bed was still inviting. Dean chuckled and winked at Anna who sighed and looked back at the small book.

"I'm translating the words easily enough, but they don't mean anything. It reads almost as though he was using a code of some sort." Anna shook her head and flipped back a few pages in her own notebook. "It was okay until he mentioned a betrothal in the parish, but now he's using this code, and I don't know how…" Anna's voice trailed off as a movement outside the window caught her attention.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked, crossing to peer out the window.

"No," Anna shook her head. "I thought I saw something, but…" She blew out a sigh and turned away from the window, returning to the journal. "I wonder if Bowden can help."

"That guy from the college?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Anna stood and tossed the three Swedish journal into her bag, followed by her computer. "I'm gonna go see him. Maybe he and his wife can help me translate these faster."

"Here," Anna grabbed the journals from the boy's hands and tossed them in her bag, pulling out two folders for them to take instead. "You go through the police reports and take a look at those crime scenes. We'll meet back here around six.."

"You think those journals will take that long?" Sam raised a brow.

"No," she answered, pulling her shoes on and swatting Dean's feet away from where she wanted to sit. "But it may take that long for y'all to check out those sights."

Dean frowned and nudged Anna's butt with a toe.

"This report says the body was found in a grotto at the edge of a cemetery." Anna gave him a "so what" look and Dean shook his head. "That sounds different from the others we've read about."

"It is," she nodded. "This is the closest anyone got to seeing what was doing this. The guy survived for about ten minutes after a pair of teenagers found him."

Dean's brow's knit as he flipped through pages in the report.

"The guy said it was 'the girl.' Apparently our big-bad is a hottie by day and a killer by night."

"She a blond by any chance?" Dean joked.

"Men and blonds," Anna shook her head as she moved toward the door. "Maybe I'll get highlights for the summer."

Dean looked up as the door shut behind Anna, her laughter muffled by the wood. Sam chuckled.

"How does she manage to get more info on the case _we_ brought her along for?"

"Better connections?" Dean shrugged. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Anna had great connections, and she loved the perks that came along with such connections. At the moment, she was enjoying homemade hot cocoa and ginger snaps as Bowden and his wife, Elsa, a plus-size model who had retired after marrying Phineas, pored over the journals, leaving Anna to dig through the two in English. 

"You're right, Anna," Bowden mumbled. "This seems to be a code or something, but it's not a very good one."

"You cracked it?" Anna pushed the chocolate away and leaned over the table. For the first time, Bowden caught a glimpse of bandages on her arm and then he laughed at the eager expression in her eyes.

"I think so," he chuckled. "Lean back before you hurt yourself more and let me read this to you."

Anna snorted and moved back to her seat. Bowden felt easier about his old friend's daughter, watching her scowl like a grounded teenager.

"Okay, listen up," Bowden grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Shabby aba dooby. Cappa delta phi. I don't own Sam or Dean. Rainbow roll.**

**A/N: I'm not pleased with this dialogue. Dean feels wrong, but I'm not feeling well and you've all waited so long for this. I may go back and fix it, but for now, this is just to move the plot along. I love you all. I like apple cider. **

**P.S. BTW, I've been so distracted from my Supernatural story because I've been working on a few other projects. If you're interested to read one, let me know and I'll send you the link to one of them I've posted on Fictionpress... Maybe I should post some of the others to get views on which to concentrate on... Hmm...**

* * *

Dean and Sam approached the grotto warily. The photos from the police file had been grisly, but they had still been just photos. Now the reality of the place was setting in and Dean for one was less than happy about traipsing around a cemetery, even if it was the middle of the afternoon and hours away from sunset.

Sam stepped around the rust red stain on the ground and moved further into the shallow cave. Dean trained a flashlight into the darkness and Sam whistled low. There, in the corner near the floor was something the police had missed. Dean nodded to Sam and held the light steady while his brother knelt down with his phone to snap a picture.

"Say cheese," Sam muttered in time with the woman living inside his phone and waited for the shutter sound to finish before standing. Dean leaned forward to check the quality of the snapshot.

"Not bad," he nodded.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, tucking the phone into his pocket. "Where to now?"

"Not a cemetery," Dean replied, scanning the small grotto one last time.

"You know someone died in there."

Sam and Dean spun around to face the feminine voice. Dean was surprised to recognize the redhead from the day before on campus.

"Yeah, we know." he answered, moving toward the mouth of the cave to stand before the girl. "You were at the college, right?"

The young woman smiled and shuffled the small bundle of flowers in her arms.

"So were you," she nodded. "Why are you here?"

"Research," Sam broke in before Dean could respond. "We're working on a paper for criminal psych."

Dean eyed his brother with surprise at Sam's hostile attitude.

"Oh," she answered, arching a brow and meeting Sam's gaze for a moment before looking past his shoulder. "Your other friend isn't here?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "She's putting in time at the library."

"Oh!" The girl smiled widely at the news.

"I'm sorry," Sam moved forward, placing himself between Dean and the girl. "I'm Sam and this is Dean. Who _are _you?"

"Sam!" Dean hissed, shocked. Usually Dean was the rude brother, lacking conversational finesse, but Sam was excelling at bad manners. He was equally surprised when the young woman just laughed.

"Sorry," she smiled. "I'm Lynn Anderson."

Linnea shifted the ridiculous flowers in her arms again, smiling until her cheeks hurt, and reached out to shake Dean's hand. Sam got there first, though, and she didn't have to use the contact to know he wanted her to leave. Before she could move to shake Dean's hand, Sam was speaking again and Linnea fought the urge to scream.

"So, what are you doing here?"

Something about the girl bothered Sam. She felt wrong, somehow, as though she was out of place and full of darkness. She was also excessively interested in Dean, too mcuh for Sam's comfort.

"The guy that was killed here was in one of my classes," Linnea lied smoothly. She could sense the hostility in the tall one, as well as his raw power and she pulled her mind shut against him. "I was just bringing him some flowers."

_Courtesy of the grave three rows back,_ she smirked inwardly.

"Really?" Sam raised a brow. Dean cleared his throat to shush him, but Sam ignored his brother. "A thirty-five year old banker was in one of your classes? That's strange."

"I wasn't aware pottery classes came with an age restriction," Linnea answered coldly, eyes narrowed.

"Sam!" Dean hissed again. "What's wrong with you?"

Dean spoke through clenched teeth and Sam spun and met his eyes. Dean knew something had spooked his brother, but he couldn't see the waifish redhead as that dangerous. Sam sniffed in disdain and turned away.

"I'll be at the car," he grunted and brushed past Linnea to leave the small cemetery. Dean and Linnea watched his retreating figure for a long moment.

"Sorry about Sam," Dean said to break the silence. "He's almost never that bad."

"Maybe he's trying to protect his sister," Linnea shrugged.

"His who?"

"The girl you were with. Isn't she his sister?"

Dean laughed as he realized she meant Anna.

"No, no," he shook his head. "She's not his sister."

"Oh," Linnea nodded and moved into the cave past Dean to lay the flowers on the ground near the bloodstains. She stood slowly, remembering the feel of this one inside her, becoming angry anew at what a failure he and his blood had been.

"Are you alright?" Dean asked, watching Lynn.

"I'm fine," she answered tightly, fighting to control her rage. When Linnea felt Dean's hand on her shoulder, a gesture meant to comfort, she reached up and finally made contact, gently probing his mind for the best way to seduce him, to entice him. His heart's desire danced at the edge of her vision and she had to prolong the contact. Linnea wet her lips and turned to face him with a sad look in her eyes.

"It's a shame really. He was a nice man."

Dean noticed her hand still holding his and gave a small squeeze before extracting his fingers.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he said gently. As he met her eyes, he saw a flash of awareness in her gaze and he stepped back, suddenly uncomfortable.

There, at the edge of his mind, almost hiding his desires from even himself, Linnea had found what she needed to know. The brunette, the woman he had been with the day before. Her image, naked and writhing beneath him was what he desired. Her body pressed against his, comfortable and warm in sleep was his heart's true longing. The bitch.

"Well, I gotta go," he smiled and jerked his head toward the direction Sam had gone. Linnea panicked. She couldn't let him just leave. She needed to see the girl's image again.

"Wait!" She cried as he turned away. "I'll- I'll walk out with you," she suggested with an easy smile.

Dean felt like a deer in headlights. Talking to this girl his dreams of Anna had suddenly come to mind, and he just wanted to get back to his hotel room. He smiled politely and shrugged in apology.

"My brother's waiting for me and-"

"You need to pick up his girlfriend?" Linnea finished, hoping that his obsession with the girl would be easy to exploit.

"No- what?" Dean backed away slowly.

"The girl. She's not his sister. Therefore his girlfriend is the next logical conclusion."

Linnea needed him to say the girl was _his_ woman. It would make using her image so much easier for the seduction, make taking him the first time so much easier.

"He doesn't like me," she pressed. "It's because of her right?"

"Look, lady," Dean felt his temper flare. "Sam just met you." Dean sighed and scratched at the back of his neck. "But you're right. He is a little protective about Anna. She and I- well…" Dean stammered to a halt.

"You belong to her?" Linnea forced her expression to appear faintly amused, her voice kept light with only the utmost effort.

Dean was saved from having to answer by his phone ringing. He muttered an apology and pulled it out, surprised to see Anna's number on the screen. He flipped the phone open and took a few steps away from Lynn.

"Yeah?"

Linnea watched him listen to whoever was on the other end of the line, admiring the strength in his hands and the sensual curve of his mouth. She let her eyes roam the lines of his body, admiring the shape of a man who obviously took care of himself.

"Right, see you soon," he ended the call, jerking her out of her reverie as he turned to face her. "I have to go."

Dean's tone left no room for argument on her side and Linnea conceded defeat in this round.

"See you around," she shrugged and smiled.

Dean raised a brow and turned to walk away. The girl was definitely on the creepy side.

Linnea watched Dean as he left the cemetery, not moving until he got behind the wheel of his car and pulled away, turning the corner out of sight. Only then did the smile leave her face. Linnea turned to the grotto and stalked over to the bouquet, swiping it up in one hand. With a scream of frustration, she slammed the delicate blossoms against the wall, again and again, accenting each blow with a new screech or curse. When the flowers at last failed to give up any more petals she threw the bare stalks on the ground and stomped away from the floral carnage.

If he wanted that swarthy, busty little woman writhing beneath him, he'd get her. How hard could it be to become a brunette for a night?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: New and improved chapter 8, thanks to HalcyonImpulsion. I found a few gaps in my char dev, and I can't say thank you enough. Also, for those who read Lone Wolf, I found a chapter that got chopped in half somehow, so I fixed it and the FULL chapter two is now up on that story, so, for a better look at Dean's inner thoughts, go check it out.**

**Disclaimer: If my skills were good enough to write for Television, Sonny Corinthos' sister would have shown up two years earlier, but would have still had an affair with AJ... Scary, huh? I don't own Supernatural, just Anna.**

* * *

Sam still wasn't talking to Dean when they slid into the booth across from Anna. Dean had been trying, without success, to get Sam to say something, anything, since they had left the cemetery. Whatever had made Sam so hostile toward the girl, whom Dean fully admitted was creepy, had also made Sam angry at Dean. Even Dean singing along with Alanis Morissette hadn't broken Sam's silence. When he refused to respond to Dean's request for a menu, Anna raised a brow.

"Did you two break up?"

Both brothers glared at her, and Anna tried to hold back the laughter that bubbled up, but lost the fight. Their twin glares became distinctly icy when she cooed at them in fake sympathy.

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm sure Dean will apologize before homeroom."

"Shut up," the Winchesters growled in unison. Anna laughed and waved them away.

"Good," she grinned. "You're both talking now. Tell me what you found, and then I'll tell you my news."

"We found something the cops missed," Sam answered, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "Here, check it out."

Anna took the phone and stared at photo, chewing the inside of her cheek. She pressed a few buttons to enlarge the image and panned across to study the markings.

"Something you recognize?" Dean asked. Anna just shook her head and played with the lighting a bit.

"Mind if I send this to my computer?"

Sam shook his head and Anna messaged the picture to her email and returned the phone to Sam. Something seemed familiar, but it could just be that runic symbols always looked the same.

"I'll cross reference the database and ask Bowen, see if I can come up with anything."

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as a waitress came over to take their drink orders. Anna looked from one brother to the next when silence descended over the table. Dean shifted, unable to quite meet her gaze but stealing occasional glances at Sam, who just stared into his glass of water. Beginning to feel like a schoolteacher, Anna crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back.

"Okay," she sighed. "What _else_ happened?"

"Yeah, Dean," Sam glared over at his brother. "What else happened today?"

"Dude," Dean shook his head. "You are such a child."

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes to Anna, who wisely hid her smile by taking a sip of water.

"There was a girl at the cemetery," Dean began his story. "I saw her on campus and she recognized me."

"You had time to pick up a co-ed?" Anna asked with a smile, ignoring the stab of jealousy.

"Not funny," Dean growled. He was secretly pleased to see Anna blush and duck her head. He wondered for a moment just how far down the blush would go, staring at the collar of her t-shirt. Then his eyes moved to the bandages on her arm and he frowned. She'd been hurt, again, and there hadn't been a damn thing he could do to stop it. He closed his eyes against the sound of her screams echoing through caves, amplified by having heard the real thing in San Antonio.

"There was something wrong about her," Sam grumbled, pulling Dean from his thoughts. Anna watched Sam as he worked to pull his thoughts together. "She was _off_ somehow… and way too interested in Dean."

"Thanks, bro."

"You know what I mean," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know. Creepy."

"What was creepy?" Anna asked, confused now.

"She was," Dean said. "She was way too friendly way too fast for a cemetery." Dean frowned and watched Anna take a sip of water. "It was weird. When she touched me it was-"

Anna slammed her glass down and glared at Dean.

"Not funny," he repeated. "She was crying and I just tried to see if she was alright."

"I don't think she knows how to cry," Sam said under his breath. Dean shot him a "shut up" look and turned back to Anna.

"She grabbed my hand and… it was weird. My thoughts started racing, like I was trying to remember something."

Anna looked down at the table top, silent. The waitress returned with their drinks and food, exchanged a few words with Sam and left again. Anna remained quiet, waiting for Dean to continue.

"It was weird," Dean said again. "Like Sam said, she was off somehow."

Dean waited, watching Anna, trying to see what she was thinking. It suddenly occurred to him that for all that he and Anna were involved, so to speak, he knew very little about her. Her mannerisms, her nervous habits, and the way her mind worked, and damn it all he wanted to know. She bit her lip, thinking, and Dean watched her eyes narrow. Abruptly he felt the urge to punch Thibideaux. That bastard probably knew _all_ of Anna's quirks and routines.

"We'll come back to her later," Anna said at last. "Right now, we need to focus on the job."

The brothers stared at Anna in shock and Sam wondered what the hell she was thinking. His instincts were never wrong, and Dean had no business flirting with creepy-flower-chick in the cemetery. He felt relieved though with Anna's next sentence.

"If she comes around with me here, though, I'll rip her hair out."

Dean chuckled and Sam smiled as Anna pulled out the small Swedish journals.

"So, what did your guy say?" Sam asked.

"Basically, Pastor B. was a very bad boy," Anna said. She pulled out her notepad and began reviewing her notes. "Apparently he'd been playing hide-the-strudel with half the women in the parish. One, though, stands out, and it's when he began seeing her that his journals were written in code. It seems that her father was an influential man, though I haven't had a chance to research the name-"

"We got a name?" Sam broke in, excitedly.

Anna nodded. "Yeah. If this is her, a name will make it all a lot easier. The two of them were pretty hot and heavy until the start of the Torsaker Trials. Once she was named as a witch, along with most of the women in Sweden, it was hard for him to keep seeing her. She, along with several other women, apparently begged him for help when he went to the jails to serve mass. But, since helping one would mean having to help them all, and that would mean revealing his extra-curricular activities, he had to refuse."

Dean listened carefully to what she was saying, seeing where this was headed. A glance from Sam told him that his brother was thinking along the same lines.

"According to the pastor, though, some real witches were found along with all the false ones, and that was how he got the idea to save Linnea Anders."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"That's her name. Linnea Anders. He saved her, or thought he had, anyway."

Sam became pensive as Anna continued. Dean smiled at the way she had gone academic on them, her dark blue eyes slightly out of focus as she became oblivious again to her surroundings. He wondered if it was normal to find her ability to tune out the world cute. Sam looked worried, though, and that never boded well. Turning his attention back to Anna, Dean was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion and yawned.

Anna stopped speaking and raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Is this hunting stuff boring you?"

"No, sorry." Dean shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "My wake up call must have thrown me off." Anna blushed again and Dean flashed a smile. Why hadn't he noticed she was the blushing type? "Keep going."

"As I was saying, the pastor found a witch, a real witch, and asked her to try and save Linnea. The reasons he used were complete crap, 'she was too young to die. The world would suffer without her innocence in it' bladda, bladda. The woman warned B that if she did this, there would be a price to pay, but, being a man of God and, well, a _man_ he told her to do it.

"That day the witch worked her mojo and when night fell, Linnea began convulsing in seizures and collapsed. They called in the pastor, thinking she was possessed and when he got there, she freaked out, screaming and shaking. Then her bones began to crack… hang on, I have it here…

"_There was a cracking sound as her bones began to reshape and reform themselves. Her screams became shrill, like a hawk hunting its prey, and her eyes glowed like the very fires of hell. Never have I seen such a transformation before, but I fear this will not be the last. I demanded that J------ tell me what she had done, but she simply said that I had been warned._

"_Indeed, I had been warned, but I thought the price I should pay would be an earthly amount. Instead I have damned the soul of a woman I laughed with, shared so tender an intimacy with that I curse myself for having brought this upon her. She claims that the transformation will happen daily, with the rising and setting of the sun. The form she takes at night, this hideous form, will protect her body from disease, fire and age. She will become eternal as the stone she becomes at sunset. She will also go mad. The witch calls it a stone-madness, a sickening of the mind from the ravages of the transformation. My sweet, beautiful Linnea has been destroyed, when all I wanted was to save her._

"_The witch tells me that my own blood will be all that can save young Linnea now, given freely. I am a coward, I admit it. I cannot sacrifice my own life for hers, cannot bear to think of dying so she may live. Lord above, give me strength. I will survive and endure. I will hunt for a solution to this curse, as will my descendants. But I fear death, and I fear dying for her. _

"That's about all of it." Anna closed her notebook and tossed it into her bag. Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back to Anna.

"Too bad you couldn't translate more," Dean said in a teasing tone. Anna threw him a rude gesture and Sam burst out laughing at the look on Dean's face. "Well," Dean said after a moment. "On that note, I'm going to go take a nap."

"Dean," Sam began as his brother slid out of the booth.

"No, it's alright," Anna interjected. "Let him nap. We need to go out tonight. We should all get some rest." Anna reached for a menu. "First I need some real food. Cookies and cheesesticks won't cut it."

Sam grunted in agreement as Dean yawned, standing beside the table.

"Order me a burger to go," he said through the yawn. "I'll eat it later."

"Onions?" Anna asked.

"No, no veggies. Just cheese."

"You'll get fat that way," Sam said, shaking his head.

Dean reached out to playfully punch Sam in the shoulder. "Shut up."

Anna laughed and promised to place the order. Dean turned away and left the small diner to cross the parking lot to the motel room. He tossed a glance over his shoulder for a last look through the window at his brother and Anna talking. He watched Anna laugh at something Sam had said and he grinned. Dean was amazed at how easily she fit in with his life. She was smart and confident, capable, but she scared the hell out of him. He was afraid she'd get hurt, pissed she'd already been hurt and completely lost on how to keep her safe. Stepping through the door to his room, Dean snagged a last look at Anna as he pulled the curtains closed.

Anna stepped out of the motel office with a final apology over losing her key. She closed the door and made her way down the sidewalk to the room that matched the spare key. She had told the manager how she had locked her key in the Winchester's room and they were across the street at lunch and he'd been kind enough to lend her the housekeeping copy so she could retriever her own room key. Her gray eyes studied the brass numbers on the door. She inhaled deeply and caught the thoroughly male scent of Dean just through the door. She trembled in anticipation of what was coming, and slowly slid the key into the lock. In the sunlight her hair had bright red highlights, but the darkness inside the room beckoned her forward, his half-naked form on the bed calling to her blood.

Her mouth twisted into a smile as she closed the door behind her, one hand reaching up to undo the first button on her blouse.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Woohoo! And I'm two for two! The thoughts just keep coming. Just a thought... How funny do we all want the next story to be? I'm a little over the angst at the moment, and I think a psychotic leprechaun/scottish fairy story would be great. Maybe with a crush on Sam? Tinkerbell on steroids? Thoughts?**

**Disclaimer: You know what goes here, so don't sue me. I don't have the money. I just had to install and AC bypass in my car. No AC in Texas is NOT a fun thing.**

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Sam laughed at Anna as she tried to blow air around the chunk of molten cheese burning her tongue. Her pained whimpers and the look of desperation were just too funny, and Sam was relieved to see Anna doing something normal for a change. She, like Dean, had a habit of trying to be perfect and pulled together all the time, but Sam knew from experience the trying to be that composed with no rest made it hurt like hell when you finally fall apart. 

"You okay?" He asked when Anna spit the mozzarella into her napkin and took a long drink of water.

"Ow," she moaned, fanning her tongue with her fingers, pouting slightly. Sam grinned and picked up a cheesestick of his own, dropping it quickly to blow on his own fingers. Anna laughed at him and he smiled sheepishly. They fell into a comfortable silence, each carefully cutting and cooling their appetizers.

"So," Anna said after a few moments. "You want to tell me where your mind went earlier?"

Sam raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Anna licked her lips and pressed them together, then tilted her head. "Look, I know I tend to space out when I get into research mode, but I'm not completely gone." Sam shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Tell me more about the girl from the cemetery."

"She said her name was Lynn Anderson."

Sam felt the tingling begin in the back of his brain and looked out the window toward the room.

_Dean._

"Coincidence?" Anna asked. Sam just shook his head, staring out through the glass. "And she took a shine to Dean?" Sam nodded and Anna chewed the inside of her cheek.

"What's with you and Dean?" Sam asked suddenly. Anna blushed and looked away. "I'm not trying to pry, but he's my brother."

Anna was visibly shocked and she bit down on her lower lip, her eyes never wavering from the silver cuff on her wrist.

"It's too fast," she said at last, her voice low. Sam was surprised she had answered at all, and stayed still, letting her continue. "I don't really know him, not really. I don't know his favorite song, or his favorite beer. We've spent a grand total of five days in each other's company, lucid and awake. That's too little too soon."

Sam shrugged. "For some people it's enough."

"How many of them hunt the boogey-man?" Anna asked, cocking a brow. She closed her eyes and sighed, leaning back in the booth. Her frustration was plain to see, and Sam felt for her.

"When Jessica and I first met, I felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to me." Sam could hardly believe what he was saying and felt a little embarrassed by the conversation. "We took things slow, for the most part, but sometimes… I'd get jealous over some guy, or she'd get mad because I forgot to call, or something would happen and suddenly we'd be on this loud, emotional rollercoaster. Then things would cool off and we'd be better together, closer."

A pained look flashed through Anna's eyes, and Sam knew that she longed for that sort of intimacy, that closeness.

"The hardest part, though," he continued. "The worst part was hiding what I was, what my family was. For close to two years I had to lie about my past. You and Dean don't have to do that. It took a long time to get to a comfortable place with Jessica, and it wasn't easy."

Anna gave a sad smile. "I don't know if we'll get to have that," she said softly. Sam reached across the table and laced his fingers through Anna's. She met his eyes briefly and looked away toward the Impala. Sam studied her profile, debating whether to push the subject any further, deciding 'what the hell.'

"You two shared a dream in San Antonio," he said bluntly. Anna jerked her hand back and flushed furiously. Sam smiled and shook his head. "No details, please."

"Sam," Anna shook her head. "That's not possible. The MacKeary's only share dreams for one reason, and I don't have a psychic bone in my body."

"Maybe being involved with Dean, you do," Sam said.

Anna winced. "Ew, Sam. Not right."

Sam grimaced as he realized what he'd said. "Let me rephrase," he began, but Anna held up a hand to stop him.

"No need, I get it. You have the talent. It's not inconceivable that Dean has a bit of the gift too." Anna smiled at Sam's confused expression. "Your father is very proud of you both."

"Miss MacKeary!"

Anna jumped and she and Sam turned to face the speaker, surprised to see the manager of the motel approaching their table.

"Hi there," Anna said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you get your room key back? I do need that master back before the shift change."

Sam froze and tossed Anna a look identical to the one he received.

"You know," she said quickly. "I did get the key back, but I think I totally spaced and left the master by the TV. Let me run and get it for you."

Anna tossed a few bills on the table and hurried to the door, Sam following close behind. Together they ran across the parking lot to the room the boys were sharing and Anna pressed her ear to the door. There was only silence for a moment, and then a low groan. She stepped back quickly, panic rising in her stomach.

"Anything?" Sam asked, worried.

"Open the door," she said, pulling a small handgun from its holster. Sam felt a little shocked that she was armed, but shook his head. He shouldn't have been surprised. He slid the key into the lock as Anna switched off the safety and readied herself. He pushed the door open with one hand and she moved in quickly, pained moans coming from the darkness.

"Get away from-

Anna could feel the blood drain from her face as she stared dumbly at the scene before her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, an errant thought of relief at not being a fainter popped up, only to be swept away by a maelstrom of pain and betrayal. She watched, unmoving, as Dean clung to the girl in his lap, his face buried against her chest, her legs wrapped around him, his hand fisted in her dark curls. Anna began to shake with rage, her gun hanging useless in her hand by her thigh, as the girl gasped his name when his tongue flicked out across her nipple. Anna stood frozen as the girl ground her hips down expertly, forcing a groan from Dean.

"Annie."

"Dean!" Sam shouted at Anna's shoulder.

Dean's eyes flew open in shock and he and the girl froze. Slowly confusion and then horror crept into his expression as he registered Anna standing, fully clothed and armed, next to Sam.

"What the hell?" He moved back quickly to get a good look at the girl in his lap. Anna. Anna with gray eyes. Gray eyes?

"What the hell?" he repeated and pulled himself out of and away from the girl, any erection a distant memory.

The false Anna watched Dean recoil from her in revulsion and her expression grew stone cold. She turned to face the intruders, her gaze locking on the real Anna and she smiled triumphantly at the hurt she saw then sprung to action.

Anna watched as her own image melted to a redhead with freckles and she barely raised her gun in time to block the claws coming at her. She reached out and grabbed a chunk of hair and hung on as they both became airborne, crashing past Sam and out the doorway to the parking lot. Hands pulled at her own hair and Anna felt legs kicking at her torso. She tried to tuck her legs up for protection, using her grip on the girl's hair for leverage when her assailant screeched and raked her claws across Anna's injured arm. With a pained scream Anna let go and found herself falling for a moment. She looked down to realize she was a good twenty feet in the air and someone's sedan was quickly rushing up to meet her.

Sam watched in terror as Anna's small frame crashed into the windshield of a Corolla and rolled forward on the hood. Behind him he heard Dean scream her name and he raced after his brother down the sidewalk.

Dean ignored the broken glass and jumped onto the hood to Anna. He reached out to move her hair aside and exhaled a ragged sigh of relief when she groaned and moved. He gripped her shoulders to help her up, but she slapped his hands away.

"Don't touch me."

"You might be hurt. Let me-"

"Hurt?" Anna's throat felt raw and she wanted to vomit. She pulled herself up, away from Dean, and swung her logs over the side of the hood. "I _might_ be hurt?"

A few feet away, Sam stood still, watching. Dean threw a pleading glance to his brother when Anna resolutely refused to look at him.

"I rush to your room, afraid you might be- And you're there, just- With her!" Anna's voice refused to cooperate, cracking as tears began to blur her vision. She fell silent, taking deep breaths. Abruptly the anger left her, and all she felt was drained and physically hurt.

Dean sensed the change in her and reached out to her again.

"No." She stopped him. "Please don't."

Dean gave a frustrated growl. "Damn it, Annie. I thought-"

"I know. I saw. I know what you thought. I know it wasn't your fault. But I cant help it Dean. I'm mad at you… and I feel hurt."

"Annie-"

"This is me be honest about how I feel. It's a rare thing Dean." She looked over to Sam. "Go to my room, both of you. Close your door, but don't go in."

"Dean needs pants."

Anna finally looked over to Dean and noticed for the first time that he had the sheet wrapped around his hips. A laugh escaped her and she shook her head, dropping her face into one hand.

"Get Dean his pants and shirt. Don't forget the master key, too." She lifted her head to meet Dean's eyes. "And take a shower in my room. You smell like shit. Go on now, I need a minute."

Sam and Dean moved away, Dean looking back over his shoulder at Anna just in time to see her wipe the tears from her eyes.

Anna slid down to stand on the ground, testing her strength and pleased to find her growing concerns of a concussion were probably unfounded. Of course, this meant the nausea and blurred vision really were hurt and jealousy, which didn't bode well. This was exactly why she had avoided relationships. She knew her own limits, her jealousy and possessiveness, and she couldn't even really call Dean hers. In her anger she'd hurt him, and now she'd have to find a way to apologize.

With a deep breath she pushed herself away from the car. The alarm roared to life, announcing her presence and she turned to stare in disbelief.

"Son of a bitch."

Reaching into her pocket, Anna pulled out her wallet to retrieve her lawyer's card and insurance information as the owner came running from the diner.

"Shit," she said, annoyed. "It would be the manager's."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Most frequent typo? Dena. Most annoying typo? Dena. Typo my husband finds hilarious? Dena. In other news, Sam obsessed Leprechaun it is. ;-D**

**Disclaimer: Meh. Too lazy. I'm posting to procrastinate finishing the discharge summary I should be typing. Also, this took a lot of work. I hope I managed to pull back from General Hospital and move into a manlier place (Not that I'm disparaging Sonny Corinthos. He can angst on me anytime).**

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Dean stepped out of the shower and toweled off. He'd wasted a couple minutes waiting for the water to heat up by sniffing the different conditioners and bodywashes. Did one woman really need all this just to get clean? Every scent had been clean and fresh, with just a hint of something floral in the shampoo and conditioner. The bodywash, like the shaving cream, was unscented and medicated for sensitive skin. Everything had been undeniably Annie. 

He pulled on his clothes and left the small bathroom, sitting on the unmade bed nearest the restroom. The other bed was still made up, but covered with papers and books spread open. Dean leaned forward for a closer look and saw that only one small stack had to do with their current case. The others were too varied for him to see a patter. Evidently Anna juggled other work and research with her works in progress.

"What happened, man?"

Dean's gaze shot to meet Sam's and, unable to find an answer right away, Dean closed his eyes and exhaled, running a hand through his hair then down his face. He shook his head.

"I don't know. One minute I'm in the cave and the next I'm waking up to a girl on top of me." Dean flopped back on the bed with a grunt, disgusted at himself. The door swung open and he shot up as Anna poked her head through the frame.

"Sam, that key?"

Sam noticed she was very carefully _not_ looking over at Dean. He quickly fished the key from his pocket and lobbed it toward the door, remembering belatedly that she had just been dropped from close to two stories onto a car. Anna barely winced, however, as she reached up and plucked the key from the air. She disappeared back into the sunshine and pulled the door closed behind her. Sam turned to Dean and found his older brother staring at the door with a lost expression he couldn't recall ever seeing before. Even through all the chasing after their father Dean always seemed to hold it together. Anger at Anna swelled in Sam, dying out almost instantly. She was hurting too, he knew. He'd seen what she had, before they had seen the fake Anna's face.

Dean's eyes slid to meet his own.

"I swear, Sam, I opened my eyes to Annie. I _thought_ it was her." Dean clenched his jaw in frustration, and then let out a self deprecating laugh. "I should have known I wasn't that lucky."

Sam's heart went out to his brother and he gave a weak smile of his own. "Well, on the upside, we found the bad guy."

Dean laughed in spite of himself and lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He heard the rustle of papers followed by the sound of the TV. Dean tuned out the noise and tried to fight the rising guilt and self loathing in his chest. Was he really so desperate for Anna that he hadn't noticed the body had been all wrong? The legs, upon reflection, had been too short, the breasts a little too full, the entire body way too soft for Annie's toned physique. Or was he just that into sex that it hadn't really mattered?

He sighed and pulled an arm up across his eyes. Who was he kidding? Just the glimmer of hope that it could be her had shut down any objection his body had had at Anna not being the same Anna from the dream. He _had_ known something was wrong, but he was just too dense to realize it right away.

And this was exactly why he avoided relationships. Getting too close to someone got them hurt, and then they hurt you. Well screw this. He was done playing Pacey to her Joey. He and Sam would stick around long enough to bag this stone bitch, then they were dropping Annie- MacKeary off at the airport.

Anna hung up with her brother, also her lawyer, and once again apologized to the manager, sticking to the cover story she and Bill had created years ago. She promised faithfully that she and her companions would hold off testing any further stunts for the next Justin Timberlake video until the proper precautions and safety barriers were in place.

The manager left at last, Bill's card in hand, to wait for the express courier with the cashier's check. Anna moved over to the impala and climbed up on the hood, pulling her wallet out once more, sifting through the cards for the one she wanted. She stuffed her cigarette case turned wallet into her coat pocket and took a deep breath. She stared at the boy's door, her temper rising with each breath; a cold anger coiled in the pit of her stomach. She didn't blame Dean; none of her anger was for him. he had been tricked, had thought it was her in bed with him, and, honestly, what man would turn down sex from a woman he was-

Dating didn't quite work. It sounded far too normal. Courting fit their situation. Courting.

No, Anna fully acknowledged that the rage she felt was aimed where it should be. She was going to gut the whore, tear her wings off and beat her to death with them- once she found her. And for that, Anna would need help. She flipped her phone open and turned the card over, punching in the number there and tapped her foot on the bumper as the phone rang.

"Genchy," she said. "What are you up to the next few days?"

Anna laughed at his answer and studied her fingernails, wishing she had her lab kit with her to examine the debris under her nails. No point wasting the material, she thought, and she slid off the hood, headed for her room.

"I'd make it worth your while to come help me out."

Anna swung open the door and shut it with her foot behind her as she stepped into the room. She pulled her gun, in its holster, from its place in her jeans at the small of her back and tossed it onto the table near Sam.

"It'll be easy," she said shaking her head at Genchy's excuses. "You come up to St. Louis with a tracker and help me locate a target. In exchange, I cut you a check for an obscene amount of money and you'll be up to your dick in tits and ass for a month."

Sam cringed at Anna's crude language and reached out to help her as she struggled to remove her jacket. He snuck a glance at Dean who looked oddly amused. Like he normally would be. Which meant his big brother was shutting down, pulling away from his feelings. Sam swallowed a curse of his own, listening to the muffled laughter coming from the phone and catching a comment about the guy being all the tracker she'd need.

Dean watched as Anna moved away from Sam to lean against the door once freed from her jacket and he let his eyes take her in, keeping his expression carefully neutral. He noticed her black boots for the first time, appreciated the way her jeans and t-shirt hugged her curves without being constricting. Then he saw the bandages and any fantasy he'd been entertaining about leaving shattered. She was hurt. She'd just been hurt again and he hadn't done a damn thing to help. Again.

He finally looked up at her face and froze at the expression on her face. She was watching him, a hard, unflinching gaze that seemed to look right through him. He clenched his jaw and just stared back, unwilling to be the one that cracked first.

"It's like this, John," Anna said at last, and Dean ignored the look Sam gave him. "I'm going to rip her fucking head off and I'm inviting you to come watch. You in?"

Her lips twisted in a cold grin and she moved at last, pulling a large silver case from under the spare bed plopping it with a thud onto the table.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

She closed the phone and tossed it behind her to land on the bed. Sam stood to move out of her way and started carefully clearing off a corner of the spare bed.

"Who was that?" He asked, sitting down.

"John Genchy," she said without turning around. She opened the case and pulled several small plastic baggies from a box and began scraping the dirt from under each nail into its own bag, labeling them. "He's a tracker. He can help. He'll be here tomorrow."

Anna finished with her task and closed the case, then turned to face the brothers, leaning back against the table.

"What do we do while we wait?" Dean spoke up.

Anna's eyes locked with his for a moment before she pushed off the table and crossed to her duffel, pulling out some clean clothes.

"Well," she said after a moment, turning to face them once more with a large bottle of Jack in one hand. "I vote for food, booze and bad porn. But I'm gonna take a shower first."

She tossed the bottle to Sam and headed off toward the bathroom. Dean watched her movements and observed how stiff her motions were, her discomfort plain to see. He wasn't ready to grovel, but they had to have this out before she could get away from him. He wasn't going to be held responsible for having been fooled. He threw his brother a "look" and Sam, thankfully, got the message.

"I'm going to go get some food," he stated, setting down the bottle and heading toward the door. "Burgers and fries good? Good."

He was out the door before Anna could react and Dean took advantage of her hesitation.

"I wont apologize for something I didn't do."

Anna spun to face him and Dean found himself wishing again that he knew how to read her. Her eyes roamed his face, his body, and Dean tamped down his physical reaction and tried to focus on being angry at her for being mad at him. After what felt like forever, she turned away to the sink counter and began to remove what little jewelry she wore, toeing her boots off before bending over to pull them off. Dean blew out a frustrated breath and rubbed a hand across his face, leaving it spread across his mouth. He tried to be mad, but the emptiness inside him just kept growing.

"You don't have anything to apologize for."

Dean's head shot up and he met her eyes in the mirror.

"I owe you an apology," she said and bit her lip, looking down. After a moment she continued. "I was wrong to blame you. You didn't deserve what I said. I'm sorry."

Before he could respond Anna grabbed her clothes and mp3 player and escaped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. He stared at the door and found that breathing was much easier than it had been a few minutes ago, the hollow place inside him gone. He frowned at the realization and flopped back once more. What sounded like Japanese techno came blaring through the bathroom door, followed by the sound of the shower, and the only words Dean could make out sounded like "Ichirin no hana," and he had no idea what the hell that meant. He didn't even know how she could stand that driving beat or the screeching. He'd take Janis Joplin any day.

Staring at the ceiling, looking for answers to questions he wasn't willing ask, Dean admitted to himself that things were not going well with Anna. Every step of this… whatever this was seemed to have an obstacle. He repeated to himself that this was why he avoided getting involved. The last time he had gotten serious, the relationship had pretty much crashed and burned. This one wasn't even on the tarmac, was probably still at the gate boarding passengers and already was falling apart. And now that he had ground that metaphor to dust, he accepted that he couldn't just walk away. He hadn't had another dream like the kitchen dream, but the cave had reared its head again a few times. As long as he kept having that dream…

The song changed to Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" and Dean couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face, absently bobbing his head in time to the music. He may not know Annie well, but her need for music when thinking was something he recognized as uniquely _her_. His thoughts began to stray into a list of pros and cons. She was great, a fearless hunter, and a major kicker of big bad monster ass. On the other hand, her fearlessness made her too lax about her personal safety, which had aged Dean about ten years in the short time he'd known her.

She was cute and funny, a good cook and a fan of food. She was adorable, not a word Dean often felt the urge to use, when she stumbled across the kitchen for that first cup of coffee in the morning. She was smart, bordering on brilliant Dean suspected, and became oblivious to the world when she disappeared into her research.

Unfortunately, she was stingy with information and didn't really work well in a team. Dean had the feeling she balked at authority, which meant he'd have his hands full with both her and Sam if they ever actually managed to track John Winchester down. Plus, her taste in music was questionable, to put it mildly. Although, as Kansas kicked in with "Carry on My Wayward Son," Dean wondered if there weren't some hope for her.

Dean cracked his knuckles and felt the heavy ring on his finger, the almost forgotten gift from his dad. Studying the runes etched into the silver band, his father's words came back to him.

_Let Anna into your heart… Protect her…_

Well, he'd screwed the pooch on that. Every time he turned around she had a new injury. Things were going too fast, they had to slow down.

The door opened and Sam walked in. at the same time the water shut off and the music was changed again, mid song, and after a few moments Flyleaf blasted. Dean sat up and smiled at Sam.

With that one smile Sam could tell that things were better and Sam offered up a prayer of thanks to any deity that cared to listen.

"Well," he said, setting the bags on top of the case still taking up the table. "I got food and more liquor. Let's see if she can keep up this time."

The music shut off and Anna stepped out of the bathroom, her towel slung around her neck, wet hair hanging down her back, a few strands plastered to her neck and cheeks, and a very short pair of yellow ducky shorts. Dean and Sam stared as she, shirt in hand, pulled a small mason jar from the collection of jars and bottles on the counter and turned to face them clutching the ends of the towel to cover herself.

She smiled sheepishly and walked over to stand between the two brothers.

"I need some help, please."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, here it is, chapter 11. I've had this written for about three weeks now, but I was doing a BIAW challenge with some writing group friends and one week became three and I'm still only about 6K into the book. Blaeh. In any event, posting these chapters should come quickly. I've been working on this story when I got blocked on my book. Thanks for all your patience, guys. single tear I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: Never read angsty Quizilla stories when writing something like this. The rewriting when ready to post!!! I can't believe it. I read a story and was like, "He'll never ask her to 'go out' meaning 'be my girlfriend.' There's no way this 200 year old vampire- oh, holy crap he did. Wait, I just made Dean cry. Damnit!" And that's my story about the rewriting.**

* * *

Anna smiled sheepishly and held out the small jar. Sam reached out and took it, unscrewing the lid. She turned away and pulled her hair forward over one shoulder revealing an angry mass of bruises from shoulder to hip. Dean stared for a moment then leaned over the papers to take the jar from Sam and hooked a finger into the waistband of Anna's shorts, pulling her back to sit on the bed between his legs. She bit her lip and looked over at Sam who gave her a reassuring smile then moved away to set up the food. Behind her, Dean sniffed at the contents of the jar trying to place the vaguely sweet smell. 

"What is this stuff?" He stuck the tip of his finger in and licked at the orange goop. Dean grimaced and stuck his tongue out at the taste. Anna grinned over her shoulder at him as he eyed the jar suspiciously while she answered.

"It's an organic salve made with wild yam and a kind of dandelion- I forget what it's called. It's amazing on bruises and sore muscles."

Dean eyed the little jar in disbelief and Anna smiled over her shoulder at the way he sniffed at the contents. Dean shook his head and dipped a couple of fingers in and smeared the gooey mess into his palm then handed the jar to Anna. She turned away and he began rubbing the slave into her muscles in slow, deliberate circles being careful not to hurt her.

"These look really bad," he said in a low voice, the guilt returning.

"You should see the other guy," Anna said mimicking Groucho Marx.

Dean stopped and stared at the back of her neck. Anna's breathing stilled and she cocked her head as though listening for his next move. He looked over at Sam who shrugged and shook his head as if to say "Women" and Dean sighed before continuing to rub the salve into the bruises.

"You never laugh at my jokes," Anna said after a long moment of silence.

"Your jokes aren't funny," said Dean. "Hell, Sam's funnier than you."

"Hey!"

Sam and Anna had shouted in unison and Dean just grinned and concentrated on getting all the bruises with the balm. He tried not to laugh when Sam began rooting around under the spare bed with the silver case, questioning the necessity of three bags for one woman to which Anna gave an indignant snort, saying something about feminine necessities. Dean just shook his head and stayed out of the conversation as he finished his task then handed the jar back to Anna. She mumbled her thanks and returned to the bathroom to pull her shirt on, capping the jar on the way.

When she came back out fully dressed for sleep Dean and Sam were seated at the table, the food set out and the bottles Sam had brought flanking Anna's bottle of Jack. She grinned at Sam and pulled a twenty from her wallet.

>

Linnea stalked back and forth, shaking from her rage. She'd _had _him, willing and wanting, and then _she_ had come in and ruined everything, her and the brother, Sam. Well, she would just have to get rid of them, somehow. If she couldn't bend Dean to her will, she would break him. The girl would be easy to take care of, Linnea mused. She was already injured, so another "fall" should finish the job. Sam might be tricky, though. The power was there, inside him, alive like it had been for the witch who had done this to her. Linnea closed her eyes as the memory of her screams played in her head, and smiled. Sam, though, would not be as easy as the witch.

Dean cared for his brother, more than he desired the girl, and that devotion could prove difficult to overcome. The girl didn't matter… one lover is easily replaced by another. No, Sam was the key. If she were to just capture him- but no. That would only make Dean angry, and he'd have the girl as backup. No, the girl had to die first. Then she could take Sam and Dean would come willingly, to save his brother, to feed her-

Linnea froze at the thought, unwilling to complete it. The bloodlust of her stone beast strained inside her, eager to be free and what remained of her humanity was afraid. Today had been the first time she had ever called on the change, and it had been useful but it was still an hour to sunset and she hadn't been able to return to her real body. She bit her lip in concern, but decided the time for panic would be the dawn. For now, she had a whole night of planning and preparation. She had watched the hotel long enough to realize that the men were sharing _her_ room for the night, making returning impossible.

She had briefly considered taking Sam then, when he had left the room, but leaving Dean alone with that girl for too long could have disastrous results. Instead she had returned to the place she had called home for the last few decades and tried to force the change back to her human form. Now, though, she would simply prepare for the ceremony and the end of this curse. All she had to do was find a way to bring Bowden and the curse would be lifted. But, how?

_> _

_The strains of "Disco Science" screamed through the earpiece. Dean checked his corners, though the action took on a whole new meaning in a cave. Keeping the flashlight resting along the barrel of his handgun, Dean played the light across the surface of the tunnel's walls and ceiling. Three notes of something Indian played before cutting off and Queen started playing. Dean grinned and turned the corner into a new tunnel._

"_Sam?" He kept his voice low._

"_Nothing. You?"_

"_Nope. Annie, how is it topside?"_

"_Wet. Sorry, nothing here- Wait." Dean heard the crunch of gravel and figured Anna was crouched close to the ground. "Holy crap."_

"_What is it?" Sam sounded worried._

"_Big. I'm going to follow it; track me on the GPS."_

"_Hell no," Dean hissed. "Stay there."_

"_We'll lose it, Dean. I'll be careful."_

_Dean found himself suddenly beside Sam. He looked around the passageway disoriented, then recognized where he was._

"_No," he whispered. "Annie!" _

_A scream pierced his eardrum, echoing through the tunnels. The ground shook and Sam took off running, shouting and beckoning to Dean. Dean ran after Sam, both sprinting following the dot on the GPS screen. Light exploded around them as they finally reached a large open cavern. Candles and lamps burned throughout the open space, and a huge thing lay bleeding on the ground bleeding. Dean stared in alarm at the piles of rock._

"_Find her," he said and the brothers split up._

_"Dean! She's here."_

_Dean ran over to Sam's side and fell to his knees. Anna, _his _Annie lay half buried in rock._

_Here eyes were closed, her dark hair gray from the dust. Scrapes and bruises on her cheeks and shoulders show the signs of a fight before being nearly buried alive. Dean's stomach dropped and he began clawing at the rubble, Sam helping at his side._

_"Dean."_

_He stopped moving, not believing his ears._

"_Dean," she whispered._

_Dean spun and cradled her face in his hands. Her eyes were clouded with pain, unshed tears glistening. She was alive, and Dean could breathe again. He bent and pressed his forehead to hers, stroking her hair with a shaking hand._

"_Hang on, baby. We'll get you out."_

"_No, you have to go." Anna closed her eyes._

"_We aren't leaving you here," Sam said still digging at the rocks. Anna shook her head and opened her eyes, pleading with Dean. Then her gaze shifted and her eyes opened wide in terror and she screamed, echoed by Sam._

"_Dean!"_

Dean sat straight up and his forehead slammed against something hard. He fell back and rolled away only to fall off the edge of the bed onto something hard, banging his elbow on the way. He sat up and heard a safety click and Sam moaning.

The lamp burst to life and Dean winced in the glare. He found himself on the floor and the barrel of Anna's gun aimed at his face. She blinked, yawned and put the safety back on, tucking the gun back under her pillow. Dean rubbed a hand across his face and climbed back into bed in time to catch a pillow in the face. His vision cleared and he saw Sam holding his jaw and glaring at him.

"Cave?"

"Sorry, man." Dean couldn't stop from grinning at Sam's rumpled appearance and turned away to Anna. "Go to sleep."

"I had to squeeze the towels for the unicorns to hatch," she said and fell down onto her pillow, fast asleep. Dean's jaw dropped and he just stared for a moment.

"Dude," Sam groaned behind him, jerking Dean from his stupor. He clicked off the light and lay down.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: And she's on a roll. Okay, chapter 12 is now here for you to enjoy and I apologize in advance for the excess in references and guns. Anna demanded, though, that I remind everyone this is no Mickey Mouse operation she's running. :-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the concept, I'm just the messenger for a character the producers forgot. Oh, and has anyone noticed how the writers are really pushing Dean and Jo? Is it just me or is she even a worse idea for him than Cassie? Maybe it's my own bias toward my Anna, but honestly, Jo? Blech.**

* * *

Sam rolled over and groaned, his head pounding. It sounded like someone was beating on the inside of his skull trying to get out. His jaw ached like hell and Dean thrashing about had killed any chance for recuperative sleep, making his hangover worse. Seriously, where did she put all that alcohol? The pounding grew louder and it occurred to Sam that it wasn't from the inside but outside; someone was at the door. He rolled over just as Dean sat up and Sam jerked back, afraid of getting smacked again. The door swung open and Anna's small frame was dwarfed by a large masculine shadow. 

"Wakey, wakey!"

Anna mumbled something rude and Sam grunted in wholehearted agreement. Slowly his brain registered the smell of fresh coffee and he opened his eyes just enough to notice the stranger was carrying a coffee traveler. Anna yanked the man into the room and slammed the door shut then stumbled over the sheets from her bed to the coffee mugs near the sink.

"Damn, Mac. Who kicked your ass?"

Anna glared at him and crossed the room again, making a beeline for the coffee.

"In my defense, she could fly."

Sam crawled out of bed, listening as the new arrival teased Anna about using a magic feather and as he crossed the room with his own mug he caught her giving the guy a different "magic feather." He poured himself a full cup and ignored the sugar he'd have to cross the room again to get.

"So," the blonde said with a mischievous grin. "Which one's Dean?"

"That one," Anna said nodding at Dean still sitting in the bad, half covered. "This is Sam," she continued hitching a thumb in Sam's direction.

Dean just stared. He was hung over and probably looked like an idiot, but he figured staying quiet was the best option right now. Anna would get around to names soon, he was sure, and his head hurt too much to jump up and demand an answer, even if he _did_ want to punch the Banana Republic refugee.

"Don't worry about Dean," she said with a smile. She held out her mug and pretty boy refilled it. "He's not much better than I am before coffee."

"You're not much better after coffee."

Dean's hand balled into a fist at his side, but Anna laughed and moved around the bed she had slept in to sit by him. she handed him the mug and Dean inhaled the steam rising, closing his eyes in involuntary pleasure at the earthy scent. He took a sip and opened his eyes, his gaze slanting toward the stranger.

"Guys, this is John Genchy. He's gonna give us a hand tracking the she-bitch."

"Were you raised by sailors?"

Anna turned to Sam and tilted her head, thinking.

"No… But I did hang out with a lot of Seals, and they're sailors… So, kinda, yeah."

Dean just glared at the blonde Adonis sitting across the room, and when Genchy grinned and gave a cheeky salute, Dean slammed the coffee mug down on the nightstand.

"Oh, hell no."

Anna and Sam gaped at Dean while Genchy just seemed amused. Dean climbed o his feet and began hunting for his shirt.

"Dean," Anna hissed as she followed him. "He can help us."

Dean turned on her. "You two spend who knows how long-"

"Don't you even finish that thought," she said through a clenched jaw, stepping up to him. "I said I was wrong already. Don't make me regret it."

Sam watched them in dismay and looked over to gauge Genchy's reaction, who just winced and shook his head. Dean looked as though he had just been slapped and Anna was standing stiff and straight. An old fashioned phone ringing broke the silence and Anna moved away from Dean to answer her cell. Dean threw Genchy a dirty look and received an apologetic shrug in response. Dean moved back to the bed and his coffee while Anna spoke on the phone.

"Yeah?" Her voice was tight, as though she was fighting tears, and Dean felt like an ass. "That's great Phin. We'll be there as soon as we're all dressed. What? That would be nice, thank you." Anna closed her phone and grabbed her jeans and a clean bra from her duffel. "Sam, take Genchy next door for the clothes she left, then grab what y'all need. Bowen found something."

She slammed the bathroom door behind her and the three men looked at each other, a little lost. The Japanese techno came blaring through the door and Dean growled and fell back on the bed. He really was an ass.

* * *

Linnea screamed in frustration, and angry animal sound that echoed off the bare walls, mocking her in its hollow return. Dawn had come, but not her flesh. The pain of the change had coursed through her, welcome for once, but stopped far too soon. Now she was half-formed, half stone. Her wings had remained, along with the stone skin and clawed hands and feet. She found little consolation that her body was its usual height and shape and her hair had returned. What good were her human features if she was still stone? She didn't need a mirror to know that she was hideous, and the fact that she could see in this darkness told her that her eyes were still the demon's red of her creature form. This was all _her_ fault. 

Linnea screeched again, ripping apart a chair in her rage, her creature strength making the wood and fabric like paper. Anna would pay for this. Linnea spat at the name; her decision was made. The girl would die first.

* * *

Anna stepped out of the bathroom and tossed her nightclothes on the bed, the shirt landing on Dean's face. He shot upright and his eyes went wide at the sight of Anna in just her jeans and bra. His gaze moved slowly down her body and she fought the urge to cover herself. Behind her the music still played. 

Dean noted with interest, and a rakish smile, that when Anna blushed it spread across the delicate skin just below her collarbone. She sniffed in disdain at him and threw her hair back over one shoulder and moved past him to grab a rolled pair of socks and long-sleeved shirt, tossing them on the other bed. She then kneeled down to retrieve another case from under the bed. This one was black and considerably larger than the silver one from the night before. She snapped open the locks and lifted the lid as the door opened behind her. Sam and Genchy came in but Genchy stopped midstride, staring at Anna and Dean was about to stand up when the other man spoke.

"She did that?" He sounded livid and Anna froze.

"The windshield did most of it. Now I know what a bug feels like."

Genchy made a disgusted sound and grabbed Anna's unbandaged arm and spun her to face him.

"Do you _try_ to get hurt or are you just that reckless?"

Anna inhaled sharply and tried to pull free of the wolf's grasp.

"She came at me! And if you'll recall I was going to leave when the bear attacked."

"After I had already gotten you safely away. You came back."

"I was paid to do a job, pal." Anna tried to jerk away again. "Get used to it. I don't run away."

Genchy snorted in disdain and released her, moving to sit in a chair.

"I'm ready when you are, Quartermain." He waved a dismissive hand at her. Anna raised a brow and turned back to her case. Across the room, Sam sat beside Dean, both of them stunned.

Anna focused on the case in front of her and let the music enter her mind, shutting out the men. U2's single off the Batman soundtrack began and she closed her eyes for a second, letting the melody clear her head. After a moment she opened her eyes and reached forward for her breast dagger and Kevlar vest bodice. She pulled on the ultra thin vest and zipped up the side then slid the small dagger into the built in sheath. She then pulled out another knife in a wrist sheath and strapped it to her left forearm, grateful the bandages were on the other arm. She turned and sat on the bed and pulled on her socks then reached into the case and pulled out two ankle sheaths, another knife and then a small gun.

The men watched with something like fascinated horror as she calmly armed herself, head bobbing in time to the music. She stood and pulled on her shirt, the knitting and long sleeves hiding any trace of the vest or knives. She sat again and pulled on her boots to cover the ankle weapons, pulling her jeans down to cover the legs of the boots. Next came her 9mm Berettas and their monster holsters that she strapped to her small frame so each one rested alongside her ribcage. She checked the magazine in each one and made sure the safety was on before sliding the guns into their holsters and snapping them in place. Finally she grabbed her trusty Tomcat, a subcompact Beretta, and attached it to the waist of her jeans.

"Your name isn't Charlene Baltimore is it?" Genchy sounded dazed and Anna grinned at him as she began assembling her new Intervention sniper rifle.

"Can't remember."

"Damn, Annie. Did we declare war?" Dean stood and reached out to take the rifle from her, gazing longingly at the gun as he turned it to and fro to examine all the angles. He stroked the barrel gently with his fingertips and pursed his lips in admiration.

"She fired the first shot," said Anna.

"Is this thing even legal?" Dean asked and Anna laughed, shoving a box of cartridges at him.

"Do you even care?" She ducked to the floor and grabbed the silver case then moved away and grabbed her jacket. "Come on, I'm ready."

Genchy grinned.

"You scare me."

* * *

Sam looked over at Dean as they pulled up in front of Bowen's house. Dean was in a foul mood after Anna had accepted a ride from Genchy, but Sam had to admit that if Genchy had tossed him the keys to the Lamborghini he'd have jumped in the car too. Sam sighed and looked out the window. He wasn't sure how to help Dean, or if he should even try, but Sam was pretty sure this whole situation was new to his brother… and he got the feeling that Anna was in new territory as well. The both of them were trying so hard to take things slow that they had missed moving forward. 

"Do you think they all look like that?"

Sam turned to Dean, confused. "What? Who?"

"Them, wolves," Dean said, nodding toward the sports car. "Do you think they all look… like that?"

"Like what? Underwear models?"

The brothers chuckled and then fell silent as Anna and Genchy both climbed out of the car. She leaned against the door and Genchy moved around the car to her side, towering over her. He bent forward and put a hand on her shoulder, talking to her and she laughed then nodded at something else the guy said. Genchy threw they brothers a look and then moved away to the side of the house.

"Maybe," Sam said at last. "But you can hold your own."

"Sam," said Dean, his voice soft. Sam turned to see his brother staring at him with wide eyes. "I never knew you cared so much."

Sam clenched his jaw and turned away, stifling the urge to smack Dean as he cackled in glee at his joke. A wicked idea crossed Sam's mind and he grinned.

"Of course, if she likes tall guys you're screwed. But I have a shot."

Dean's jaw dropped and Sam turned back to him, grin in place.

"You suck," Dean said.

"Only on the weekends," Sam returned and opened the door to meet Anna. Dean just stared for a moment, unable to believe his ears then grinned and climbed out to follow Sam and Annie up the sidewalk.


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: Supernatural isn't my concept. If it was, they wouldn't have found John for at least two seasons.**

**A/N: Well, this has been written for about two months now, but I've been working two jobs at once and got too lazy to type it all out. But here it is and I promise I'm already typing out the rest of the completed story for you. Also, I've been thinking about doing some origin stories, giving more background on a phase in Anna's life that Dean and Sam are still unaware of. I could just wait on that though... Not sure. Anywho, enjoy! And thanks for waiting.**

* * *

Anna climbed the steps to the front door and rang the bell. 

"Where's Rover go?" Dean asked. He tried, and failed, to suppress a grin at the look Anna threw him.

"Into the bushes," she said. Sam snorted and Dean threw his head back and laughed. "Shut up," Anna hissed as the door swung open.

The brothers were still chuckling when Elsa Bowen moved into sight and the laughter died in their throats. Anna looked back to see Dean and Sam staring at Elsa, practically ogling her, and Anna reached out to tug on Dean's ear. He glared up at her and saw a satisfied gleam in her eyes as he rubbed his sore lobe.

"Dean, Sam, this is-"

"Elsa Glasson from the winter '98 Victoria's Secret Botticelli collection."

Anna stared wide-eyed at Sam, stunned by his recitation, and behind her Elsa just smiled. A tug at the pocket of her jeans brought Anna back to reality and she sighed in defeat.

"Elsa, these are the Winchesters."

The former model laughed and waved the trio inside, chatting with Sam as she led them through the house to Bowen's study at the back. He rose from behind his desk when Anna walked in and smiled grandly, waving the small journal in the air.

"Fantastic reading, MacKeary. You should have stayed longer to hear more. You'll never believe –"

The doorbell rang out and Elsa excused herself. Anna followed, guessing it was Genchy at the door, and the Winchesters remained in the study with Bowen. Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat, eyeing the antique lamps and statues suspiciously. Sam made small talk with Bowen who watched Dean from the corner of his eye as though studying a bug under a microscope. Dean finally had enough and snapped.

"What?"

Sam turned to Dean and stepped back, out of the line of fire.

"She's different," Bowen said after a moment, the corner of his lips pulled up in a sad smile. "She was always… cold, is suppose is the word. Geoffrey treated her as a subordinate more than a daughter."

Sam snorted from his corner and Dean heard him muttering something along the lines of knowing what that felt like before Bowen continued.

"She seems lighter now, soft somehow; more human. I'm assuming it's you. The both of you, really."

Dean felt like he'd been sucker-punched, and he couldn't put his finger on the reason that such a revelation would bother him, but before he could work it out Bowen just smiled and turned to the door to greet the newcomer. Dean tilted his head to take a good look at Anna, comparing her to the Lara Croft woman he'd first met and trying to see this new _softness_ Bowen mentioned. When she caught his eye, though, Anna froze and her eyes narrowed.

"Are y'all talking about me again?"

Sam started. "How'd you know?"

"Dean looks confused," Genchy said with a grin and pushed Anna the rest of the way into the room. Dean straightened up and glared at Genchy, sinking down onto the small couch in front of the large desk.

"Tell us what you found, Phin," Anna said quickly, taking the small armchair near the door. Bowen perched on his desk and waited for everyone to get settled, Sam taking the window seat and Genchy settling down on the sofa beside Dean. Elsa asked if anyone wanted anything to drink and then excused herself again.

"It's amazing," said Bowen, nearly vibrating with excitement. "I kept reading after you left and after a while I began to recognize some dates and names. I wondered if I had begun to re-read some sections, but details were different, and I couldn't place where I'd seen these names before. Nearly drove Elsa mad with my pacing last night, but this morning I suddenly remembered!" Bowen reached back and lifted a large bound volume and thrust it toward Anna. She reached out to take it and nearly dropped the book, surprised by the weight. "Careful, it's heavy."

Anna glared at Bowen before turning her attention to the book, slowly turning the pages.

"Isn't this a parish register?" Her voice was soft and she ran her fingers lightly over the page, almost but not quite caressing the paper. Dean watched, fascinated as always by her book-mode. He watched her studying the entries, and then noticed her eyes narrowing as she saw something of interest. When her eyes shot wide in shock, Dean leaned forward, but she turned back to Bowen, her lips moving with silent questions.

"It's amazing, isn't it? That register has been in my family for over two hundred years and is the first register my ancestor created when he came to America from the old country. Our mystery pastor is, in fact, my ancestor Pastor Gregor Phinneas Bowen."

Anna looked down at the register in her lap at the names of people who had been born, had married and died, all carefully and lovingly recorded, under the supervision of a man who had created a monster. Sympathy welled in her, unexpected, for the woman they were now hunting. She had loved a man and been cursed by him to a future of madness and loneliness while he had gone on to live happily, marry and have children. Though Linnea had screwed up by coming after Dean, Anna found that at this moment she couldn't hate her prey. Dean shifted in his seat and spoke.

"So the chick we're hunting now is your great-granddad's fault?"

Bowen nodded. "That's what it looks like."

Genchy leaned toward Anna and whispered in her ear. "This would explain the scent I caught outside."

Anna nodded absently and sat back in her seat, staring at the words on the page.

"This seems a little too easy," said Sam with a frown.

"Or fated," Bowen said with a shrug.

"Cookies!"

Everyone looked over to the door as Elsa swept over the threshold with a large plate of cookies that smelled like round heaven.

"Ooh, cookies," Dean said with a boyish grin and he scooted forward on the couch to grab a handful, popping one in his mouth. "Dude, they're still warm!"

Genchy eyed Dean warily and grabbed a single cookie. Sam smiled at his brother and looked over to see Anna's reaction to Dean's antics, but was disappointed to see her still staring at the register, chewing her lower lip, deep in thought.

"Phin, what about the blood?"

Bowen looked confused and shrugged. "Well he was a bit of a rover but _I _never –"

"No," Anna groaned, rolling her eyes. "The cure. 'Blood freely given.' The pastor was afraid to sacrifice his life and I'm sure Elsa here would prefer you breathing."

"Ah," Bowen said with a grin and Anna realized he'd been teasing her. "Well, I've given it some thought and I think old Gregor had it wrong."

Dean watched as Anna tilted her head, listening, and he threw Sam a look as Bowen chewed his cookie, arranging his thoughts. When Elsa finally settled herself on the small couch between him and Genchy. Dean threw an alarmed look at Anna, but she was miles away. A look over at a faintly blushing Genchy settled his nerves somewhat, realizing he wasn't the only one affected by the former lingerie model. Oblivious, Bowen spoke.

"The curse called specifically for _blood_ freely given, but if Gregor had to die to save Linnea then that would have defeated the purpose, I think."

"Purpose?" Sam leaned across his brother to grab the plate of cookies and began munching.

"The idea was for the two of them to be together after the trials were over and all was safe. I'm thinking all he needed to do was give up a little blood, a few drops at most as a promise of his love, and that would have been the end of it. Instead, he panicked and thought the worst, dooming the poor girl to remain a monster."

Anna leaned back and pressed a finger against the muscle twitching beneath one eye, sighing deeply. Dean scratched the back of his head and looked over to Sam once more, who shrugged, then turned back to Bowen and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"So, you think your blood might break the curse?"

"We can only try," Bowen said with a shrug and popped another cookie into his mouth.

.> . .

Genchy was outside searching the yards for any trace of a clue where they might find their prey. Sam and Bowen were continuing to dig through the old journals and papers for any other information on the curse. Anna and Dean sat at the kitchen table discussing the merits of homemade ammunition versus store-bought and swapping stories while filling hollow-tip rounds with Bowen's blood. He watched her gesticulating wildly as she described a failed attempt at a UV flash bomb.

"My dad, being a manly man, walked around for three weeks with sunburn down one half of his face. Bill, on the other hand, had prom coming and stole my sunless tanner to even himself out."

Dean laughed. "You're making this up."

"I have pictures," Anna said with a grin. "He was lobster red on one side and this horrible orangey-brown down the other."

Dean laughed again, remembering a few failed experiments of his own. "What happened to you?"

"Well, my burn was even at least," she answered with a blush. "But I had been observing the device itself while Dad and Bill were watching the readouts, so I was a good ten feet closer when it went off. I spent the next two hours in an aloe bath and the next week home from school."

"Score," Dean said and snagged another cookie from the plate. Anna grinned and paused to load a clip with the prepared bullets.

"It would have been sweet, but I had sunstroke and a nasty fever. I was bedridden almost the entire time and miserable."

Dean cooed in false sympathy and Anna stuck out her tongue in response. A comfortable silence fell, each smiling as they continued with their preparations. Slowly, though, Genchy's angry comments about Anna began playing through his mind. He began sneaking glances at Anna, when he was safe from injecting himself with the needle, trying to discern how injured she still was, looking for any hint of pain or discomfort. She looked up, suddenly and caught his eye. Both smiled shyly and returned to their work, then spoke at once.

"It really is-"

"So, you're just-"

They laughed and Anna motioned for Dean to continue. He took a second to organize his thoughts before he began speaking.

"Are you accident prone, or was Genchy right?" Anna stopped what she was doing and slowly set down the handful or rounds. Dean continued. "I mean, at the factory you had it pretty together and you did okay on the river-"

Anna raised a brow at the term and Dean sighed.

"Alright, the river was amazing, but here you seem-"

"It's your fault you know," she said, interrupting Dean. He just stared at her and she looked down, resuming her work. "I always had a fairly stable way of hunting, even when I worked with Dad. I finished with school as fast as possible and blew through college to get my degrees so I could get back to hunting. It was all a way of working to acquire more information for the database. Hunting was just a necessary part of gathering the data. The factory was a favor for John, really. The river was for Tibbs." She paused and looked up, the pain in her eyes piercing him. "Neither was personal, but this one is, and it's screwing me up. I'm off center and I can't get back."

Dean stared, slack-jawed and amazed. Anna looked like she might be violently ill or faint at any moment and he couldn't blame her. He knew that's how he'd feel if he'd ever had to say what she was saying now, to share this much of himself.

"We're hunters," she continued slowly. "Getting hurt comes with the job. Hunting alone I have to be careful because there's no safety net. Screwing up with Dad meant a billion pushups once I'd healed. With you and Sam it's different. I can take chances because you're there to catch me if I fall."

Anna fell silent and stared down at her hands. Dean followed suit, unsure what to say as he studied the grain of the table. When Anna snorted he looked back up to see her glaring at him.

"Next time you better catch me. Cars hurt."

Dean laughed and Anna's glare turned into a grin as they both began working again.

.> . .

"Well, she's been here, but I can't track her. There are no entry or exit trails and other than another scrap of clothing, nothing of hers. I think she's flying in and out, which means I'm pretty much useless."

Genchy sounded disgusted with himself and Anna sympathized with him.

"What about waiting to see if she comes back tonight?" Sam asked from his seat in the window. Anna shook her head.

"No good," she said. "We need to find her while the sun is up. I want us shooting at flesh."

"You are out for blood," Genchy said with raised brows.

"Damn straight," said Anna with a nod. "Plus we don't know if bullets will do any good once she's in stone mode. I don't want to take any chances."

They all fell silent, recognizing the sense behind her plan. Dean scratched the back of his head as a thought tickled his brain and spoke up.

"What about the campus?"

Everyone stared at him and he shrugged.

"That's where we first saw her and she looked like a student. I think she had books with her. Could she be registered?"

Anna and Bowen exchanged a look, eyes wide and then Anna shot to her feet and began moving toward the door, the men following.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Seriously. The had to bring on Armageddon? I'm not so sure about that, I don't care how pretty Dean is. And that plot twist is definite proof I don't own the concept of Supernatural.**

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I just got a new job (no more three jobs at once... yay!) and they just promoted me, so the schedule's been insane. So, it's short but proof that it is written. :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Linnea stood back, admiring the circle she had created. It wasn't sealed yet, so she and Dean could enter safely once she had Bowen inside and prepared for the ceremony. She had spent centuries preparing and refining the magic she would use to break the curse. The half change today was a sign that time was running out for her and soon all that would remain would be the stone and the madness. She could feel the coldness closing in around her heart, the rage giving strength to the animalistic urges. 

Forcing her temper to cool, Linnea stared into the flame of a nearby candle and allowed her thoughts to wander to back to her mortal life. She remembered the excitement in the village when news had arrived of a new pastor coming to replace the recently deceased Pastor Klaus. Gregor Bowen turned out to be a fairly attractive single man just under thirty and the women of the town developed a renewed interest in their religious duties. Linnea had known from the start that he had a roving eye – what man wouldn't with an entire village full of women ripe for the picking – but he seemed to change when they talked together, quiet and content, and he seemed more attentive than usual once they had become lovers. When he began taking dinner at her family's home she understood that it was partly because her father was one of the richest men in the village, but secretly she had hoped it was for her.

He had been her first lover and his seduction had been sweet and direct, a heady combination for the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Her father's money also meant she stood a good chance of becoming Bowen's wife, since her dowry would be sizeable. Instead the madness had come to town, the witch fever, and her own mother accused her of meeting with Satan and lying in congress with demons. That was when Linnea realized that her _mother_ was also Gregor's lover. In the end, her mother's accusations were not the reason she had nearly been burned as a witch, but Linnea's "unnatural behavior" when she attacked her mother. She had condemned herself by acting out in a jealous rage, and that rage had never left her. Still, over two centuries later it burned fierce and hot in her breast.

Someone would pay for this curse on her, the half-life she'd been sentenced to, and Phinneas Bowen, the man who looked so like her Gregor, would suffer her fate now. And if Linnea had to kill a certain brunette to achieve her goal, so be it.

* * *

The Lamborghini pulled to a stop in front of an old Victorian house, the Impala right behind. In its day the neighborhood had been the height of elegance and beauty, but over the decades decay had set in. Most of the houses now stood abandoned and covered in graffiti, the yards overgrown with weeds. A large inbred pit-bull barked incessantly and pulled at the chain anchored to a lone tree in front of one house. The air was tinged with the peculiar mixture of exhaust, old wood and defeat so often found in these neighborhoods. 

Dean looked out the window past Sam and draped an arm over the steering wheel.

"Not what I expected," Sam said.

"What did you expect?" Bowen asked from the backseat. Sam had no answer to give and Dean grunted for lack of anything to say either. As Anna stepped out of the Lamborghini Dean wondered idly how anyone so small could have such long legs as he popped the trunk open, then unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, Sam and Bowen exiting as well.

Dean moved to the trunk and smiled, impressed as always with his array of weaponry and blunt objects. He moaned in appreciation at the sight of Annie's sniper rifle and knew immediately what he was taking with him in addition to his trusty Colt. Sam came up and nudged Dean aside to grab his own gun, the Taurus, and one of the shotguns, passing the other to Bowen. Dean reached into the trunk and pulled out the Intervention, stroking the barrel with his fingertips before loading the monster and turning to Annie.

"I really like your toys," he said with a grin.

"I have something you'll love," Anna said in response as she bent into the trunk.

"More than this baby? Never"

Anna grinned and snapped open a very familiar little silver box. The men all gathered closer to see what she had.

"New buds," she said with pride. She frowned though as her gaze fell on Bowen. "I only have four, though, so Phin will have to stay with someone at all times. Sorry." Bowen shook his head to tell her it was okay and Anna continued as everyone stuck their bud in their ear. "These are an improved model. The signal strength has been boosted to work clearly through sixty feet of rock and steel, and I worked out a way to control the volume."

"Sweet," Dean said. "No more eleven."

"And none more black," said Anna as she reached into the case and pulled out what looked like average SD memory cards. She gave one to each man who took an earbud then pulled out a fourth card and her cell phone. She pulled off the back and popped out the memory card, replacing it with the new card then reassembled her phone and turned it on to demonstrate the new function. When a tracking grid that looked suspiciously like a Tom-Tom filled the screen, Sam laughed.

"Did Q set you up with exploding chewing gum?"

"Nah," Anna shook her head. "That was the last mission M sent me on."

Dean watched as Sam and Genchy loaded the cards into their phones, silent. Sam turned on his phone and four small dots appeared on screen that showed a street map view of their location. He frowned as Anna walked away, her dot moving with her on Sam's phone.

"Bebe, I am never leaving home without you again," Genchy said as he played with the settings on his phone. Anna laughed from her position, watching her screen to test its accuracy.

"Well, I'm not sure if the piece will stay put in a canine ear," she said in a low voice, only audible through the bud. "So don't change if you can help it. If you do though, I'll have a few questions."

Dean watched Genchy eye the professor and realized that Annie hadn't clued Bowen in on the wolf. He inhaled deeply and set down the rifle to hook up his own phone. Dean stared at the dots on his screen and tried to ignore the strange emptiness growing in his stomach as the details of his nightmare played through his mind. Grabbing the rifle he stepped up onto the sidewalk.

"Annie, you stay here."

Anna spun to face Dean her shock plain to see. He watched her breathing deepen and she stepped forward to argue.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "This ain't a discussion. You stay with the cars."

Anna stared at him and Dean clenched his jaw against the hurt he saw in her eyes. She turned away from him to Genchy, but the wolf just shook his head and met Dean's eye with an almost imperceptible nod. Dean looked back to Anna and she lowered her eyes then pulled her subcompact in its holster from her waist. He stood still as she moved around him and clipped the gun into his jeans at the small of his back and walked back to the Impala's trunk.

"I'm keeping the other shotgun," she said in an angry voice. "Just in case." She met his gaze and narrowed her eyes.

Dean looked away to Sam and Genchy then Bowen and jerked his head toward the house.

"Let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the show or the characters Sam and Dean Winchester. Anna, Genchy, Bowen and Tibbs are all mine, though, and that's not too shabby. **

**A/N: Sorry this took forever. I don't have an excuse, but I can tell you that some MAJOR rewriting went into this. I don't know what I was smoking when I originally hand-wrote all this, but it must have been good, 'cause the writing was really, REALLY bad. I've also been playing with the idea about writing an Anna series that has nothing to do with the Winchesters. Not sure, though... It would probably become a series that splits far away and leaves the Winchesters behind in the hopes that any possibility for publication will be increased. Hmm... maybe... I don't know.**

* * *

Dean watched Annie digging around inside the trunk of the Impala and at last she emerged with her mp3 player. Behind him Sam and Genchy checked their weapons and tracking systems, working out who would stay with Bowen. Dean watched, unable to look away as Annie leaned forward through the passenger window and hooked the player up to the radio. He smiled when the opening chords of several songs skipped through until she settled on something funky and the singer broke into Japanese lyrics. He forced himself to turn away and he climbed the stairs to the ugly old house, the other men following. Annie was pissed and disappointed and more than likely hurt, he could tell, but she was safer outside. In his ear he could hear Bowen congratulating him and Genchy for laying down the law and making Anna stay behind.

"She's hurt," he said in a quiet voice.

"You saw to that," Sam muttered.

Dean spun and glared at his brother, who simply raised a brow in challenge. Genchy stepped forward between the brothers and faced Dean.

"Do this later."

Dean snapped his head to glare at Genchy who ducked his head in submission with a low whine. Dean clenched his jaw and Genchy lowered his eyes.

"Let's just focus. I can smell it nearby."

Dean and Sam looked around at the shabby entry hall as Bowen hovered near the doorway. Past the professor Dean could see Anna leaning against the car and holding the shotgun casually, tapping her fingers against the barrel in time to the music. He turned back to Genchy.

"You lead; we'll watch your back."

Genchy nodded and scratched his nose. He'd picked up the scent off the blouse the moment he'd stepped through the door, the same scent he'd caught in the bushes outside Bowen's house. He moved to the foot of the stairs and leaned his head back, listening. He narrowed his eyes at the scratching sounds and turned away. Nothing but mice up there, and Genchy hated mice. He moved into the parlor with the Winchesters covering him from behind, and he stopped in the center of the small room, confused. He could smell her, she was here, but the scent was faint and far away somehow.

"This won't work," he said in frustration and turned to Dean. "I can't track like this."

Genchy stared at Dean then slanted his eyes toward Bowen. Dean shrugged, confused and then started in understanding.

"Oh! Annie."

"Ja, Herr Winchester?"

Sam smiled at Annie's tone. Dean rolled his eyes and crossed to the window where he could see her.

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked

"Come inside," she said in a flat tone. Dean clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, fighting against the urge to spank her. After a moment she continued. "Send Bowen out to me. Let Genchy do what he's here for."

"She says to go outside," Sam told Bowen.

"Why?" He looked from Sam to Dean. "Aren't I the bait?"

"Yes," Anna said. "But we don't want to chum the waters."

Sam winced and shook his head, saying nothing.

"You're making me hungry," Genchy said with a smile, and Dean's body tightened in response to Anna's throaty chuckle.

"You have my permission to snack if the granite's to your liking."

"Y'all are gross," Sam muttered and escorted Bowen back to the door. Once safely across the yard with Anna, Sam returned to the parlor and took the shotgun from Genchy. Genchy rolled his shoulders and before either brother could blink the man was gone and a very large brown wolf stood before them. He stretched and shook his body, his tail wagging in anticipation of the hunt.

"Is he done?" Anna's voice was quiet and Dean tore his gaze away from Genchy to look out at her. She had been alone with this guy? She was braver than he was.

"I'm done," Genchy answered in a rough voice. Sam and Dean's eyes shot wide and Sam took a half step back.

"No one said you'd be able to talk," Dean said in a suspicious voice.

"Is that a problem?" Genchy asked with a curiously hungry gleam in his eye.

"It's a bonus," Anna snapped. "Focus on the job."

Genchy's expression could only be described as a grin as he turned away, following his nose back through the foyer and into the dining room. Through the buds Dean could hear something from Santana starting up and he grinned. Genchy turned into the kitchen and Dean followed close behind, the safety off.

* * *

Bowen watched Anna as she split her attention between the dots moving on her phone and staring at the door to the house. She was wearing sunglasses, so he couldn't see her eyes, and on the outside she appeared to be the same Anna MacKeary he had always known, cool and distant. Only the music she played was a clue to the emotions simmering beneath the surface. 

"May I ask a question?"

She looked down at him and raised a brow, apparently waiting. Bowen stifled a grin at her behavior, reminded of a sulking teenager.

"Are you really mad at him for wanting to keep you safe?"

Anna stared at Bowen and then looked at the house, considering her answer. After a moment, she hit the mute button on her phone, a feature she'd "forgotten" to clue the guys in on, sighed and turned to face the professor.

"I'm not mad at him," she said. "I just hate feeling left behind. And I don't- I can't… It's complicated," she muttered. She felt strange trying to explain her frustration to anyone, and Bowen wasn't a hunter. He especially wasn't a MacKeary, which meant there was a _lot_ she couldn't say. She turned off the mute function and pulled her sunglasses back on.

"Guys, what's the word?"

"Grease," Dean replied. Anna rolled her eyes and smiled.

* * *

Linnea heard the footsteps and faced the door, amazed. How had they found her so quickly? She bared her teeth and looked around, panicked, for a place to hide. When her wings shuddered, she smiled and jumped.

* * *

Genchy was still in the lead as they moved through the surprisingly large kitchen toward the old-fashioned larder. Dean bobbed his head in time to the music coming through the earpiece and followed close behind the wolf. Genchy moved to the back of the larder and stared at the floor, circling slowly. 

"What is it?" Dean asked from the doorway, gun at the ready.

Genchy blinked back into human form, clothes thankfully in place, and faced Dean. "It's beneath us," he said. "We need to find away down."

"Is he dressed?" Anna's voice came through the bud. Sam and Genchy spoke at the same time.

"What?"

"Does it matter?"

"_Hello_ guys," Anna said in a bored tone. "Girl with a database, ring a bell? Dressed or nakey?"

"Dressed," the three men said in unison.

"How's the ear piece?"

"Count Rogan, can we do this later?"

Sam grinned at Dean's tone and exchanged an amused grin with Genchy.

"It's good," Genchy said and he turned back and crouched near one corner. He ran his fingers along the edge of the panels and felt damp air seeping through. He leaned forward and loosed the wolf to scent the air. His pulse began to race as he caught the fear and the start of the hunt. "There you are," he whispered. "Stand back."

Sam pulled Dean back from the doorway and Genchy stood before the wall, studying the wood for a weak spot. Without warning he kicked out at the wall and the panels burst inward to hang precariously from one hinge, revealing a crude passage and stairway leading down. With a satisfied smile Genchy turned back to Dean for orders. Whether he knew it or not, this guy was an alpha and it was plain to the wolf that Thibideaux was in trouble.


	16. Chapter 16

Author Note: Sorry this has taken so long to post. It's been written but there have been some major changes here in my life. The hubby is in the military and we've had two major moves since I last posted. The entire story is written and finished, so I promise to actually get it all posted over the next couple of weeks. Hope you all like the way it ends. And, as a treat for being so patient, I'll even post a deleted scene at the very end. Consider it an easter egg. :D

Disclaimer: Bladdah, bladdah, Sam and Dean aren't mine. Genchy, Anna and Linnea are. I haven't seen an episode since the apple tree Norse god episode. How's that for a fan?

* * *

Without a word, Dean moved past Genchy and started down the stairs with Sam close behind. Genchy pulled the gun Anna had forced on him and held it point down as he followed the brothers down the stairs. His blood sang with the desire to change and fight this creature as a wolf, but it wasn't really an animal he would be facing at the bottom of the stairs - no matter what it smelled like. He fought the desire to change - the NEED to change - and kept close behind Dean and Sam.

The steps ended abruptly and opened into a basement of sorts. Dean got the feeling the cellar room was manmade but not part of the original design. It took him a moment to realize he could actually see. The darkness had ended with the stairs. After another moment he noticed the candles in every corner burning brightly and a small fire in one corner. A complicated design was drawn onto the floor and Dean was unwilling to look too closely to see what with.

"Wow," Sam said amazed. He stepped fully into the room and studied the floor. "It's a circle. I wonder why it isn't closed."

"Maybe she's missing something," Dean said, moving along the edge of the room.

"Only you."

Dean barely got his gun up before he was hoisted into the air. Sam screamed his name as Annie shouted in his ear but he was more concerned with getting back to the ground. He shoved the butt of his rifle over his shoulder. There was a satisfying crack and thud as he landed a blow to the gargoyle's face. Her grip on his jacket released and he fell into Sam's arms, both of them crashing to the ground.

"Fancy meeting you here," Dean quipped.

Sam shoved Dean aside as the gargoyle leaped from the wooden beams toward them. Her hand wrapped around his throat and Sam gripped her wrist, trying to relieve the crushing pressure.

"Where's the girl?" She hissed in his ear. Sam pushed against her, struggling for air. He couldn't have answered if he wanted to. She hissed in anger and flew off him. Gasping he watched her struggling as Genchy tried to hold her down. He winced, struggling to his feet, as Anna screamed through the ear bud.

"Dean! Sam!"

"Stay there," Dean barked at her and climbed to his feet, rifle at the ready. "Genchy! Down!"

Anna jumped at the blast from a rifle. It echoed strangely in the air and her ears rang in the silence that followed. She watched the front door, terrified. She wanted to go in but she couldn't leave Bowen alone.

"What's going on?" Bowen asked, pressing his ear near hers. She shushed him and turned up the volume so they could both hear everything.

"Where is she?" Sam.

"Did I hit her?" Dean.

"What the fuck did Mac load that thing with?" Genchy.

Anna fought the urge to sag against Bowen with relief and instead took a deep breath. Decision made she spun to him and shoved her shotgun into his hands.

"Get in the car and stay down."

Bowen nodded, feeling very out of his depth. Anna followed him to the Impala and closed the door behind him as he hunkered down in the back seat. She turned back to face the house and gripped her gauntlet, twisting it as she tried to decide what to do next. She moved slowly along the sidewalk to the house and wished she had her gun.

"Do you see her?" Dean sounded pissed and Anna froze.

"She's still here," Genchy said. Anna inched sideways on the lawn, trying to peek in a window. The door stood open but only gave her a view of the stairs that led to the second floor.

"Dean! Your left," Sam shouted.

Anna heard the staccato of gunfire, loud in one ear and muffled by the house in the other. An inhuman scream pierced her ear and she pressed a palm to the side of her head, doubling over at the sound. She backed away from the house as more gunfire sounded, multiple shooters, followed by the sounds of a struggle. What was going on in there?

"Genchy!" She was certain that was Dean, but the fighting was too loud to be sure, and growing louder. A flurry of fur and wings flew past the open door and burst through a window. Anna backed quickly away and was almost to the cars when the gargoyle took flight. She climbed into the sky with Genchy in wolf form gripping her side in his powerful jaws. Anna's jaw dropped at the sight. Linnea wrapped her legs around Genchy and began beating her fists against his muzzle, trying to make him let go. She scratched her claws across his muzzle and with a pained yelp he released his hold.

Anna screamed and Linnea turned, releasing Genchy like a projectile at Anna. Anna wrapped her arms around the wolf as he slammed into her and felt a very human form wrap his arms around her, turning their bodies so his body took the impact as they crashed into the hood of his car. Anna groaned in pain and looked over her shoulder at the grinning Linnea hovering above them.

"Bitch," she spat and rolled off Genchy, falling off the car to the ground. She could hear Dean and Sam in her ear, but when Linnea moved she tuned them both out. "Off your ass, John!"

Linnea perched on the roof of the house, waiting to see what the girl would do. She should have taken care of the girl first. She wanted Anna as badly as Anna wanted her and the beast inside roared to be set free. Not yet though, Linnea decided. As it was, she would have to incapacitate the men before she could play with the girl. Otherwise they might interfere. But not dead. She wanted Dean, and maybe even Sam, very much alive. She backed away from the front yard and crept along the roof toward the back of the house. The circle in the basement was ruined, and not worth the effort to salvage. She could work out something new, though. And with the girl dead and the men captured, there would be time. Plenty of time.

Dean reached the foyer in time to see Anna crossing the yard, headed for the house. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but he didn't need to see them to know she had shut down for the hunt. He hated her like that. Steeling himself for the confrontation he stepped out onto the porch, physically blocking her way.

"Stay outside," he said.

"Move or I'll move you," she replied.

Dean studied her face, torn, and did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her. He reached out, grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her to him, crushing her mouth beneath his. She gasped in surprise and he took advantage, slanting his head to deepen the kiss and truly tasting her for the first time. The moment she softened under him with a soft sigh he pulled away, only God knows how, and spun her away from him.

"Go back to the car," he said softly in her ear. He tried to pretend his voice wasn't shaky and prayed his knees wouldn't give out. Annie took a few dazed steps toward the car and down the stairs, then froze. Slowly she pivoted on one heel and turned back to face him. Dean tensed. Without a word she spun away and returned to the Impala, ignoring Genchy as he passed her on his way back to the house.

"Ballsy," Genchy said to Dean as he climbed the stairs.

"Worth it," Dean said, staring at Anna. Behind him Sam grinned at Genchy. Dean turned back to the house and rolled his eyes at Sam's smile. "Come on."

Once the men were back inside, with the door closed this time, Anna pulled out her phone and hit the mute button. She leaned against the trunk, trembling, though from what she was afraid to consider. She listened to them moving through the house, staring in the attic and moving down through the house in the hunt.

"That was worth being forgotten."

Anna yelped and jumped away from the car. Bowen grinned from the window and Anna's hand moved to her throat as she tried to settle her racing pulse.

"Sorry," he said, obviously lying. "But that was amazing. Like something out of a movie." Anna stared at Bowen, dumbstruck, but he just continued, oblivious. "Did you see the way she moved? That wingspan! I wish I'd had a camera for that."

Anna smiled and shook her head. She opened the trunk and surveyed the remaining weapons. She hadn't expected Linnea to look like that during the day and suspected trying to land a punch would just get her sore knuckles. A length of rebar peeked from beneath a duffel and Anna's brows shot up as she pulled it free. An unusual choice, but functional. She hefted it, testing its weight and became conscious of an ache in her shoulders and back. Probably from the fall.

She closed the trunk and walked toward the side of the car.

"What do you think, Phin?"

Bowen studied Anna as she brandished the rod like a claymore. "Well, Anna," he said resignedly. "There can be only one."

Anna turned to him, beaming. She moved forward to the hood and climbed up to sit. She pressed the mute button once more so the guys could hear her and settled down to wait. The music still played in the car but Anna tuned it out, focused on the house.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay, here it is, at long last. The End! You've all been very patient and I can only say "Thank you." I hope you enjoy it. I took out a rather exciting car chase in favor of something less grandiose and improbable. What can I say, I'm practical. If you wonder what I've been doing that took this last chapter so long to be typed out, I have no answer. However, I have been doing this [[ .com/watch?v=JdofQDnK4cQ ]] lately. Check it out if you're curious.**

**Disclaimer: I have no claim on Sam or Dean. Damn.**

* * *

Linnea was gone; the beast had taken over. She climbed the stone stairs, her wings tucked in close to her body. She moved carefully past the shattered pantry door. Silently she crossed the kitchen as she tracked the men moving overhead by the sound of their footsteps. The wolf had been unexpected, but she knew about him now and would not be surprised again. They would all die. What need did the beast have for the ritual? Why would the beast want to be human? She was powerful now; more powerful than she had ever been before.

No! That way led madness. Dean must be kept alive so she could complete the ritual. She would be human again. She had to be human! She deserved the life that had been stolen from her, and she would have it.

She had seen Dean kissing the girl - claiming her. Linnea knew now that he would not come willingly, but that was of no concern. He didn't have to want her, he only had to survive until she was done with him. First, though, Anna would have to die. She had wanted to save the girl for last, but that was no longer an option. It had probably never been an option.

The beast laughed at her, but she pushed it down. With the girl dead they would both have Dean. If the girl lived, Linnea would always be hunted.

* * *

Dean used the barrel of his shotgun to move plastic covered clothes around in the recesses of a dark closet. Satisfied their prey wasn't hiding in there he turned away and crouched to check under the bed. Clean...ish. Dean sneezed.

"Bless you," Anna said in his ear.

"Thanks."

He stood and moved to the window that looked out over the front yard. Anna sat on the trunk of the Impala. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he watched her swaying to the music, her toe tapping in time. He frowned though when he noticed something laying in her lap. Another weapon, no doubt. He wondered what she was thinking, if she was mad at him. What the hell had he been thinking?

He hadn't, Dean realized, and that was the problem. He was quickly becoming obsessed with her safety and that didn't bode well. forcing her to stay behind would only cause problems and she would begin to resent him. Unfortunately the only other option was to let her hunt and trust in her skill to keep her safe. It occurred to Dean that that was probably the only option. How depressing.

"Winchester, you done daydreaming?"

Dean spun to see Genchy lounging in the doorway. He nodded and moved away from the window, embarrassed at having been caught off guard.

"What's happening?" Anna sounded concerned.

"Nothing," he replied as he followed Genchy into the hallway. "What's that you're holding?"

"A gunblade." He could hear her grinning.

"You scare me," Genchy said.

"You say the nicest things," she shot back with a laugh.

Dean grinned. He'd work through this overprotective thing, somehow. Someday. Maybe.

* * *

Linnea stepped silently over the rubble where the front door used to be. The sun was bright in the clear afternoon sky and glared off the surfaces of the two cars. She stayed in the shadows as she watched the girl sitting on the car. There she was, dancing happily to the music blaring from the empty car. She shook with rage at Anna's carefree attitude. Boldly she stepped out onto the porch and locked eyes with her opponent.

"What's the matter?" Anna called out to her. "Don't the boys want to play with you?"

Linnea smiled coldly. "I could say the same to you.

Anna narrowed her eyes and slid off the trunk. She held the iron bar casually in one hand, the way one would hold a bat.

"I'm guessing you want to play together."

They moved at the same time, but Anna knew right away that Linnea had the advantage. She had speed, flight and madness. Anna had a length of rebar. As she slashed at an outstretched claw she began to think that pressing the mute button before might have been a mistake. She dodged another swipe but was too slow for the foot that sent her flying back into the car. The blast of a shotgun from the backseat deafened her, but she heard the gargoyle scream. She looked up, hopeful that Bowen had caught her. He had missed.

When Linnea dove for her again, she screamed.

* * *

The men had run to the nearest windows at the sound of gunfire. Dean's heart leapt to his throat at the sight of Annie trying to hold the gargoyle off. He heard Genchy swear when Linnea tossed Anna like a rag-doll across the lawn.

"I didn't even hear anything," Sam exclaimed as he headed for the door.

"Maybe she lost the earpiece," Genchy said.

"I doubt it," Dean said angrily. "If she dies, I'll kill her."

"Which one?"

They burst out the door in time to see Anna slam into the hood of the Lamborghini. Dean froze as she slid to the ground and lay crumpled on the ground.

"Come on baby, get up," Dean muttered.

Anna raised her head and met his eyes. She couldn't be sure of what she'd heard, but she knew this was not the time for a nap. She struggled to her feet, her left left refusing to cooperate. To buy the guys some time she leaned back against the car and beckoned to the creature kicking her ass.

"Come on. Let's play some more. I've got time."

Linnea's eyes flashed with rage, literally, which Anna found more than a little unnerving. She dove and Anna allowed her legs to give out, falling to the ground once more. She had a vague thought about rolling under the car, but before she had the chance a gunshot rang out.

The force of the shot spun Linnea to face Dean, Sam and Genchy. The men opened fire aided by Bowen from the back of the other car. She jerked with the impact of each bullet then fell, almost in slow motion, to the ground. Their gaze met and Anna watched in horror as the life left slowly left Linnea's eyes. A moment later there was a nude woman dead on the lawn.

Anna sat on the ground fighting the tears. The adrenaline was wearing off and the pain kicked in, forcing her to double over. Warm, safe arms stole around her, cradling her.

"Are you okay?" Dean's voice sounded weak in her ear. She looked up and saw the men gathered around her, their anxiety plain to see. She inhaled a shaky breath and twisted carefully in Dean's arms to look up at him.

"I'd just like to say - I stayed outside."

Sam chuckled as Genchy crouched down. "It'd be better to fix that now," he said.

Bowen paled visibly when Anna nodded. Dean stiffened behind her but tightened his grip.

"Do it," she said.

Genchy reached out and wrenched her dislocated knee back into place. For the first time in her life, Anna fainted. Dean held her close to his chest and exhaled slowly. He'd be lucky if he didn't have a heart attack before he was thirty.

* * *

He closed the file and stared at the photo attached to the front. Anna MacKeary was being carried into the emergency room. He lifted the photo to examine the shot of two men approaching her home. 'Sam and Dean Winchester' the caption read. He pulled the photo free of the paperclip for a closer look and another fell onto the floor. He retrieved it and realized it was a snapshot. It showed one of the men kissing Anna in a disturbingly possessive manner. He noticed it was the same man carrying her in the hospital shot.

He leaned back in his chair and held up the snapshot.

"Keep an eye on her," he said without looking up. "And get me information on these Winchesters, especially this one. What of the creature?"

"Dead," the young man said. "Our London laboratory did receive tissue samples, though. She is not failing in her duty to us."

"I know," the older man answered. "Perhaps we have no cause to worry about these others, but I want to be sure."

"There is the wolf. Both of them. She also assisted in the recapture of the halfbreed."

"Because the Den pays very well," he said shaking his head. "We can't fault her for making a living. Watch her and report back to me."

The young man bowed his head and left the office. He watched his son leave then looked back to the photo. Yes, this situation would require watching.


End file.
